stir up

verb

stirred up; stirring up; stirs up

transitive verb

1

: to cause (someone) to feel a strong emotion and a desire to do something

The speech stirred up the crowd.

2

: to cause (something) to move up into and through the air or water

The workers stirred up a lot of dust.

3

: to disturb the quiet of : agitate

a bear stirring up the bees

4

: to cause (something, usually something bad or unpleasant) to happen

They're trying to stir up trouble.

But, of course, there's a reason politicians generally try to communicate deliberately: It helps them avoid saying things that might offend voters or stir up controversy.

—Philip Bump

I'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative.

—Norma Klein

… the incident stirred up a hornet's nest of protest and indignation.

—Robert T. Martinott

Examples of stir up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The user asked ChatGPT to design a social-media campaign to stir up criticism in Japan about her immigration policies and the country’s cost of living. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

The story follows Partha and Nupur, whose romance becomes a target when local political operator Zakir stirs up a conspiracy against young activist Mihir. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 July 2026

Choose your favorite flavor and stir up this easy, five-ingredient recipe. — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 5 July 2026

Hocevar has more important things to concern himself with, like locking himself into the Chase, while Heim is not a driver who goes out of his way seeking to stir up drama. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stir up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup