as in movements
the act or an instance of changing position
I thought I detected a slight stirring of the leaves, and yet there wasn't a breath of wind
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Recent Examples of stirrings
Founding Fathers will go from the stirrings of revolution to the long and bloody fight for independence, and on into the early years of the American republic.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 May 2026
Those principles inspired the first stirrings of experimental education in the United States.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
The first stirrings of the heat wave arrived Sunday, toppling daily high temperature records in Redwood City and San Rafael.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
There are already stirrings suggesting that Democrats will try again.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2026
Only a small percentage of Costco’s workforce is unionized, but the company has seen new stirrings of union activity in recent years.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Other indicators do suggest the stirrings of a more pronounced AI effect on jobs.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 May 2026
Those principles inspired the first stirrings of experimental education in the United States.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
The first stirrings of the heat wave arrived Sunday, toppling daily high temperature records in Redwood City and San Rafael.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
There are already stirrings suggesting that Democrats will try again.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2026
Only a small percentage of Costco’s workforce is unionized, but the company has seen new stirrings of union activity in recent years.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Other indicators do suggest the stirrings of a more pronounced AI effect on jobs.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stirrings
Noun
-
Whatever the account, these are poems that have not simply endured time, but have mastered it, capturing it in their movements, their tides.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
And its use of initiatives to restrict immigration has served as an inspiration to right-wing movements in Europe.—
Jessi Jezewska Stevens,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Pink Bar, the resort’s beachside cocktail spot, shifts the tempo at sunset.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
The film captures the uncertainty and unexpected shifts in behavior that can happen during abrupt highly emotional encounters.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
In replacing Bowman as GM during the 1986-87 season, Meehan oversaw numerous franchise-changing moves, including Mogilny’s defection from the Soviet Union in 1989.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
One of the more notable recent moves involved left-hander Eric Lauer, who arrived in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays after voicing some displeasure with how the team was utilizing him in the beginning of the season.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Initially, the team was studying the motions of stars within the globular cluster using data from both Euclid and the Hubble Space Telescope.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
4 June 2026
-
Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Through her motions, Karen Read's legal team gained access to the texts too and they were released in Read's civil lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police.—
Louisa Moller,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stirrings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stirrings. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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