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

Think of an ideal mid-century living room that meets a private club, where a roaming Negroni cart offers several variations of the popular cocktail, stirred up seat-side. —Linda Laban, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024

Bell-bottom country is stirring up some good chaos in Nashville, upsetting the natural order of things and bringing some fresh ideas to the charts. —Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 26 Nov. 2024

Add sherry to stir up any browned bits from the skillet. —Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024

The arrival of the royal entourage stirs up challenges and tensions among both the Crawleys and the servants. —Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1