stir up
verb
stirred up; stirring up; stirs up
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
Philip BumpI'm not a rebel, trying to stir things up just to be provocative.—Norma Klein
Norma Klein… the incident stirred up a hornet's nest of protest and indignation.—Robert T. Martinott
Robert T. MartinottExamples of stir up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another speculation is that a giant impactor, one that formidably matched Jupiter in size and heft, fell into Jupiter and stirred up the planet’s insides, blurring out the core-mantle boundary.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024
Or are the real drivers of the civil disobedience outsider agitators, seizing on an opportunity to wreak chaos and stir up trouble?
—Veralyn Williams, NPR, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stir up 
Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024
Or are the real drivers of the civil disobedience outsider agitators, seizing on an opportunity to wreak chaos and stir up trouble?
—Veralyn Williams, NPR, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stir up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stir up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stir up
Cite this Entry
“Stir up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stir%20up. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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