stirring
Americanadjective
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rousing, exciting, or thrilling.
a stirring speech.
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moving, active, bustling, or lively.
a stirring business.
noun
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a mental impulse, sensation, or feeling.
stirrings of hope.
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a small movement.
the best thing she could do was to pretend that her husband's nocturnal stirrings didn't wake her
adjective
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exciting the emotions; stimulating
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active, lively, or busy
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stirring
before 900; Middle English stiringe, Old English styriende. See stir 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's stirring is gripping or moving—it inspires some kind of powerful emotion, like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s stirring "I Have a Dream" speech. When people sing stirring songs at church, during a protest march, or around the piano at home, they might make you cry, while a stirring public speaker often makes the crowd feel enthusiastic and roused to action. In the 15th century, this adjective had a much more literal meaning: "in active motion, or animated." The verb stir, "move, rouse, or agitate," shares a root with storm.
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.
Dara's success has given Bulgarian society a rare moment of unity in a fragmented country, stirring memories of 1994, when the national football team finished fourth in the World Cup.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
I wonder how many people in this room are stirring the forces that will be ash in someone’s ice core 1,500 years from now.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
TM Krishna, prominent Indian vocalist, author and social activist, says: "Elections are about stirring imagination. This is not a verdict against Dravidian politics. It is something else. Vijay offers a new imagination."
From BBC • May 5, 2026
In 2016, workers cut down dozens of oaks trees on land managed by Justin to make room for new grape plantings, stirring up controversy.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
He shook his lasso of poison vines and insulted the monsters’ bad breath, stirring them into a fury.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
