stir up
Britishverb
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Mix together the ingredients or parts, as in He stirred up some pancake batter , or Will you stir up the fire? [Mid-1300s]
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Rouse to action, incite, provoke, as in He's always stirring up trouble among the campers , or If the strikers aren't careful they'll stir up a riot . [First half of 1500s] Also see stir up a hornets' nest .
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.
We made enough racket to scare the hoot owls out of the bottoms, but we sure didn’t stir up any monkeys.
From Literature
I struggled to remain still, and the itching stirred up an uncomfortable memory also involving straw.
From Literature
That has stirred up more confusion, especially among the countries that have already reached trade deals with the administration.
From Barron's
The title references the film “Casablanca,” and its piano player, Sam, whose music stirs up memories of the central love story.
From Los Angeles Times
When currents spread out, they heat the atmosphere, stir up winds, and create turbulence that can affect satellites traveling through that region.
From Science Daily
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.
