1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

stirring (up)

verb

Definition of stirring (up)next
present participle of stir (up)
as in provoking
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 stirring (up)
  1. provoking
  2. raising
  3. promoting
Verb
  • Tom Cruise‘s Digger is being called a very big swing of a dramatic satire that’s provoking very mixed reactions after the film’s first press screenings.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This full-day experience welcomes middle and high school students from throughout the region to engage in thought-provoking screenings, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on workshops.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • Eckhart disputed the network’s explanation and alleged she was fired in retaliation for raising concerns about harassment and a toxic workplace.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Leaders with bold strategic plans, meaningful missions and capable teams … who are somehow still raising roughly the same dollars year after year.
    — Sherry Quam Taylor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of raising
Verb
  • If dozens of countries are promoting electric vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure and electrification in general, that can help in the fight against climate change, Jackson added.
    — Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This could look like investing in and promoting internal subject-matter experts, documenting best practices, creating subject-matter Centers of Excellence and embedding that expertise directly into workflows.
    — Srinivas Velamoor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of promoting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

stirrings
stirring (up)
stirs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stirring (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stirring%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All