bestir

American

[bih-stur] / bɪˈstɜr /

verb (used with object)

bestirred, bestirring

to stir up; rouse to action (often used reflexively).

She bestirred herself at the first light of morning.

bestir British

/ bɪˈstɜː /

verb

(tr) to cause (oneself, or, rarely, another person) to become active; rouse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bestir

before 900; Middle English bistiren, Old English bestyrian to heap up. See be-, stir ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The facts of this case, he said, are “bound to bestir passion in the hearts and minds of any rational person.”

From Seattle Times

“There was indeed perishing; many indeed died of it. ... No longer could they move, no longer could they bestir themselves ... And when they bestirred themselves, much did they cry out.”

From Los Angeles Times

Last week, following the slow tortures of the House impeachment process, a new character emerged in the nick of time to bestir the swamp.

From Washington Post

For a New York Times reporter endangered in Egypt, the administration does not bestir itself, as Times publisher A.G.

From Washington Post

Even so, she eventually bestirs herself to tell Disciple that she wants a divorce.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023