as in provokes
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stirs (up)
Verb
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Such a statistic often provokes a familiar gamut of responses from those who read it, from shock, disgust and anger to a debilitating sense of helplessness.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
3 June 2026 -
Likewise, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently warned that the bond market will ultimately prove to be the factor that provokes some action from DC when investors begin to demand higher premiums to continue buying debt.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Encumbered by antlers up to four feet tall and forty pounds in weight, a bull raises its immense jaws, antlers tilted toward his spine, and races through the woods until reaching safer ground.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Bass has called for hiring more officers and defending her Inside Safe homelessness program, while Raman has criticized the cost of police raises, called for broader public-safety responses and argued that the city needs a more accountable and cost-effective homelessness system.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stirs (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stirs%20%28up%29. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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