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.
Back to school can stir up many emotions for parents, including anxiety about the extra costs it brings.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
They represent the city at big shopping and real estate events to stir up interest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Just as important as Kiffin’s ability to light up scoreboards was his knack for using any microphone within earshot to stir up attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Britain's media watchdog Ofcom said it had written to online service providers about "the increased risk of their platforms being used to stir up hatred, provoke violence and commit other offences under UK law".
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
“I told you about that premonition so you’d stay inside and keep cool. Not so you’d go over there and stir up more trouble.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
