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.
A son, Tom, lacked his sisters’ ability to stir up scandal.
“Everyone knows Hesterfowl loves to stir up chaos. It’s probably nothing, really.”
From Literature
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
Even if a $150 night out is technically within your budget, the fact that you didn’t anticipate spending that much can stir up guilt or anxiety.
From MarketWatch
Some of your friends have likely already achieved this milestone, which can stir up anxiety about where you are in life compared with them.
From MarketWatch
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.
