stir up

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to set in motion; instigate

   he stirred up trouble

Idioms and Phrases

Mix together the ingredients or parts, as in He stirred up some pancake batter , or Will you stir up the fire? [Mid-1300s]

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

The topic stirred up plenty of debate across our live page and social media and we received thousands of messages from our audience, suggesting the one thing they would change.

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You may miss Thanksgiving this year when you see that red “canceled” notice on the departures board, but rest easy that you helped Democrats stir up their voting base for the 2026 midterms.

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Grinding across the mountaintop, stirring up those clouds of dust, was the mining robot.

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The question "who owns Scotland?" stirs up strong emotions.

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Police robots, for example, have occasionally stirred up fears about surveillance and the potential for lethal force.

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Related Words

• amaze 
• astonish 
• baffle 
• befuddle 
• bemuse 
• complicate 
• confound 
• daze 
• demoralize 
• disconcert 
• disorient 
• distract 
• embarrass 
• fluster 
• frustrate 
• involve 
• misinform 
• mislead 
• mortify 
• muddle