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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stir (up)
Verb
-
The lone spark from the hosts was Ross Johnston’s decisive fight win against Tyler Tucker, though Johnston was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the hit that provoked the conflict.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026 -
What is beauty if not precisely the property that provokes us to abandon all pretense of analytic remove in our desperation to draw closer?—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite his status as a longtime Democratic donor, Ellison’s acquisition of The Free Press and his installation of founder Bari Weiss atop CBS News also raised alarm from Democrats, who have criticized some of her editorial decisions as biased against the left.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Mahan, who recently entered the race and is supported by Silicon Valley leaders, has quickly raised millions of dollars, as have two independent expenditures committees backing his bid.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Stir (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stir%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
