stir

[ stur ]

/ stɜr /

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See synonyms for: stir / stirred / stirring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), stirred, stir·ring.

to move one's hand or an implement continuously or repeatedly through (a liquid or other substance) in order to cool, mix, agitate, dissolve, etc., any or all of the component parts: to stir one's coffee with a spoon.

to set in tremulous, fluttering, or irregular motion: A soft breeze stirred the leaves.

to affect strongly; excite: to stir pity;to stir one's heart.

to incite, instigate, or provoke (usually followed by up): to stir up a people to rebellion.

to move briskly; bestir: to stir oneself.

to move, especially in a slight way: He would not stir a finger to help them.

to rouse from inactivity, quiet, contentment, indifference, etc. (usually followed by up): to stir up his potential.

to bring up for notice or discussion.

Older Use. to disturb; trouble: A slow wave of remembrance stirred her peace.

verb (used without object), stirred, stir·ring.

to move, especially slightly or lightly: Not a leaf stirred.

to move around, especially briskly; be active: Everyone in the house was stirring.

to become active, as from some rousing or quickening impulse.

to be emotionally moved or strongly affected.

to be in circulation, current, or afoot: Is there any news stirring?

noun

the act of stirring or moving.

the sound made by stirring or moving slightly.

a state or occasion of general excitement; commotion: The news created a stir.

a mental impulse, sensation, or feeling: a stir of hope.

a jog, poke, or thrust: He gave the refuse a stir with his foot.

movement, especially brisk and busy movement: There was too much clamor and stir for her.

OTHER WORDS FOR stir

3 inflame.

4 rouse, foment, arouse, incite, instigate, provoke; stimulate, goad, spur.

5 exert.

8 raise.

17 fuss, pother, agitation, disorder, uproar, bustle.

See synonyms for stir on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR stir

17 quiet.

See antonyms for stir on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about stir

stir the pot. pot¹ (def. 26).

Origin of stir

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stiren, Old English styrian; cognate with German stören “to disturb, interrupt”; akin to Old Norse styrr “disturbance, brawl”; see storm

synonym study for stir

17. See ado.

OTHER WORDS FROM stir

stir·ra·ble, adjectivestirless, adjectivestir·less·ly, adverbun·stir·ra·ble, adjective

un·stirred, adjectivewell-stirred, adjective

Words nearby stir

stipulate, stipulated, stipulation, stipule, stipuliform, stir, stirabout, stir-crazy, stir-fried, stir-fry, stirk

Other definitions for stir (2 of 2)

stir²

[ stur ]

/ stɜr /

noun Slang.

prison.

Origin of stir

First rcorded in 1830–35; argot word of obscure origin; perhaps from Romani sturiben “prison,” staripen “imprison”; compare earlier argot start in same sense

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stir in a sentence

The team’s 2005 findings, published in Nature, caused a stir.
Has the fountain of youth been in our blood all along?|Kat McGowan|September 28, 2021|Popular-Science
Google’s recent change in algorithms that choose which titles show up in SERPs has caused quite a stir in the SEO community.
Search marketers should remember their power in the Google-SEO relationship|Carolyn Lyden|August 26, 2021|Search Engine Land
The overall flavor of your stir-fry is going to be dependent on how you marinated your meat and the other seasonings you are using.
8 tips about Asian cooking from Martin Yan, Grace Young and other experts|Becky Krystal|May 13, 2021|Washington Post
Add the 2 beaten eggs and stir-fry 1 minute until the eggs are just set but still a little runny.
8 tips about Asian cooking from Martin Yan, Grace Young and other experts|Becky Krystal|May 13, 2021|Washington Post

While those and other comments caused a stir in Jordan, King Abdullah could mostly ignore them as the musings of a disgruntled but insignificant political player.
Jordan’s royal family feud and alleged coup plot, explained|Alex Ward|April 9, 2021|Vox
Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts, rum, powdered sugar, and salt until fully incorporated.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stir in the frozen peas and chicken, taste for seasonings, and pour the mixture into six (2-cup) ovenproof serving bowls.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and cranberries until the dough is well mixed.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies|Ina Garten|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fleeing their homes, many Syrians left behind middle-class lives; most arrived with none of the mementos that stir memory.
Drawing on the Memories of Syrian Women|Masha Hamilton|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2012, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon caused a stir when she told The New York Times that her lesbianism is a “choice.”
The Problematic Hunt for a ‘Gay Gene’|Samantha Allen|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The beauty, the mystery,—this fierce sunshine or something—stir——' She hesitated for a fraction of a second.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
If it took years to do it, you shall never stir out of this house till it is done.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
He wasn't the style of man that I'd care to stir up trouble with, judging from his size and the shape of his head.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Not until the servant had thrown open the door of the coach and deposited within the valise he carried, did Garnache stir.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for stir (1 of 3)

stir¹

/ (stɜː) /

verb stirs, stirring or stirred

to move an implement such as a spoon around in (a liquid) so as to mix up the constituentsshe stirred the porridge

to change or cause to change position; disturb or be disturbedhe stirred in his sleep

(intr often foll by from) to venture or depart (from one's usual or preferred place)he won't stir from the fireside

(intr) to be active after a rest; be up and about

(tr) to excite or stimulate, esp emotionally

to move (oneself) briskly or vigorously; exert (oneself)

(tr) to rouse or awakento stir someone from sleep; to stir memories

informal (when tr, foll by up) to cause or incite others to cause (trouble, arguments, etc)

stir one's stumps informal to move or become active

noun

the act or an instance of stirring or the state of being stirred

a strong reaction, esp of excitementhis publication caused a stir

a slight movement

NZ informal a noisy party

Derived forms of stir

stirrable, adjective

Word Origin for stir

Old English styrian; related to Middle High German stürn to poke, stir, Norwegian styrja to cause a commotion; see storm, sturgeon

British Dictionary definitions for stir (2 of 3)

stir²

/ (stɜː) /

noun

a slang word for prison in stir

Word Origin for stir

C19: perhaps from Romany stariben prison

British Dictionary definitions for stir (3 of 3)

Stir.

abbreviation for

Stirlingshire

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with stir

stir

In addition to the idioms beginning with stir

stir up
stir up a hornets' nest

also see:

cause a commotion (stir)

stir

OTHER WORDS FOR stir

OPPOSITES FOR stir

Idioms about stir

Origin of stir

synonym study for stir

OTHER WORDS FROM stir

Words nearby stir

Other definitions for stir (2 of 2)

Origin of stir

Words related to stir

How to use stir in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stir (1 of 3)

Derived forms of stir

Word Origin for stir

British Dictionary definitions for stir (2 of 3)

Word Origin for stir

British Dictionary definitions for stir (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with stir