stir up

verb

stirred up; stirring up; stirs up

transitive verb

1

: to cause (someone) to feel a strong emotion and a desire to do something

The speech stirred up the crowd.

2

: to cause (something) to move up into and through the air or water

The workers stirred up a lot of dust.

3

: to cause (something, usually something bad or unpleasant) to happen

They're trying to stir up trouble.

But, of course, there's a reason politicians generally try to communicate deliberately: It helps them avoid saying things that might offend voters or stir up controversy.

—Philip Bump

I'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative.

—Norma Klein

… the incident stirred up a hornet's nest of protest and indignation.

—Robert T. Martinott

Examples of stir up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kamala’s joy Harris gave a speech Tuesday evening on the Ellipse, the iconic park south of the White House where Trump memorably stirred up the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

For Fiennes, who describes himself as a lapsed but inquisitive Catholic, the movie stirred up long-standing questions about faith and history. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Topper, Rafe, and the rest of the Kooks, of course, park right up next to the Pogues on the very empty and wide beach, which obviously stirs up some drama. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024

Jupiter will station retrograde in Gemini on Oct. 9, emphasizing your fourth house of home and emotional foundations while stirring up past issues related to your living situation or family dynamics. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1