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.
Simers tended to probe and kid and seek to stir up things, but Anderson also recognized that he could be highly accurate, perceptive and even fun.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
In many parts of the ocean, strong storms stir up cooler water from below, which can weaken the storm.
From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025
This week, the stakes are high as a barrage of delayed economic data, coupled with a marketwide index rebalance, threaten to stir up volatility.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 14, 2025
That a former world champion like Kramnik was able to stir up agreement among some social media and message-board posters isn’t surprising.
From Slate • Nov. 1, 2025
They had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
