as in to provoke
to bring something (volatile or intense) into being
couldn't stir up any interest in a Saturday morning outing to the art museum
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stir (up)
Verb
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His allies would say the victim had provoked their own death and blame Democrats for inciting the violence.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026 -
In the main event of SmackDown, Trick Williams defeated Damian Priest by DQ after provoking Sami Zayn.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The health care company also raised its forecast range for profit this fiscal year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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In the wake of Bad Bunny's halftime show selection in September, many critics raised concerns about a potential language barrier for English-language viewers.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stir (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stir%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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