stirring

[stur-ing]

See more synonyms for stirring on Thesaurus.com

adjective

rousing, exciting, or thrilling: a stirring speech.
moving, active, bustling, or lively: a stirring business.

noun Usually stirrings.

a mental impulse, sensation, or feeling: stirrings of hope.
a small movement: the best thing she could do was to pretend that her husband's nocturnal stirrings didn't wake her

Origin of stirring

before 900; Middle English stiringe, Old English styriende. See stir¹, -ing²

Related formsstir·ring·ly, adverbun·stir·ring, adjective

stir¹

[stur]

verb (used with object), stirred, stir·ring.

to move one's hand or an implement continuously or repeatedly through (a liquid or other substance) in order to cool, mix, agitate, dissolve, etc., any or all of the component parts: to stir one's coffee with a spoon.
to set in tremulous, fluttering, or irregular motion: A soft breeze stirred the leaves.
to affect strongly; excite: to stir pity; to stir one's heart.
to incite, instigate, or prompt (usually followed by up): to stir up a people to rebellion.
to move briskly; bestir: to stir oneself.
to move, especially in a slight way: He would not stir a finger to help them.
to rouse from inactivity, quiet, contentment, indifference, etc. (usually followed by up): to stir up his potential.
to bring up for notice or discussion.
to disturb; trouble.

verb (used without object), stirred, stir·ring.

to move, especially slightly or lightly: Not a leaf stirred.
to move around, especially briskly; be active: Everyone in the house was stirring.
to become active, as from some rousing or quickening impulse.
to be emotionally moved or strongly affected.
to be in circulation, current, or afoot: Is there any news stirring?

noun

the act of stirring or moving.
the sound made by stirring or moving slightly.
a state or occasion of general excitement; commotion: The news created a stir.
a mental impulse, sensation, or feeling: a stir of hope.
a jog, poke, or thrust: He gave the refuse a stir with his foot.
movement, especially brisk and busy movement: There was too much clamor and stir for her.

Origin of stir¹

before 900; Middle English stiren (v.), Old English styrian; cognate with German stören; akin to Old Norse styrr disturbance; see storm

Related formsstir·ra·ble, adjectivestir·less, adjectivestir·less·ly, adverbun·stir·ra·ble, adjectiveun·stirred, adjectivewell-stirred, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. disturb. 4. rouse, foment, arouse, provoke, stimulate, goad, spur. 17. fuss, pother, agitation, disorder, uproar. 20. bustle,

Synonym study

17. See ado.

Antonyms

17. quiet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stirring

Contemporary Examples

Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding
Carla Hall
December 28, 2014
Add chocolate and butter to the bowl and melt, stirring to combine.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls
Carla Hall
December 25, 2014
Economic development, then, is not simply about adding a cornucopia of talent or cool, then shaking and stirring it like a drink.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead
Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen
December 7, 2014
Sprinkle on the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies
Ina Garten
November 29, 2014
Joseph Heller called it the “most stirring and lucid account of World War II that I have ever read.”
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day
James Jones
November 15, 2014

Historical Examples

The captain had told him to be back in an hour, and he felt that it was time for him to be stirring.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
What I hear at night is the creaking of stairs, when I know that nobody ought to be stirring.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
When Nicias had concluded his stirring appeal, the embarkation of the troops began.
Stories from Thucydides
H. L. Havell
This was done, and I was up and dressed before any other member of the family was stirring.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The liquor of oysters should never be thickened by stirring in flour.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for stirring

stirring

adjective

exciting the emotions; stimulating
active, lively, or busy

Derived Formsstirringly, adverb

stir¹

verb stirs, stirring or stirred

to move an implement such as a spoon around in (a liquid) so as to mix up the constituentsshe stirred the porridge
to change or cause to change position; disturb or be disturbedhe stirred in his sleep
(intr often foll by from) to venture or depart (from one's usual or preferred place)he won't stir from the fireside
(intr) to be active after a rest; be up and about
(tr) to excite or stimulate, esp emotionally
to move (oneself) briskly or vigorously; exert (oneself)
(tr) to rouse or awakento stir someone from sleep; to stir memories
informal (when tr, foll by up) to cause or incite others to cause (trouble, arguments, etc)
stir one's stumps informal to move or become active

noun

the act or an instance of stirring or the state of being stirred
a strong reaction, esp of excitementhis publication caused a stir
a slight movement
NZ informal a noisy party

Word Origin

Old English styrian; related to Middle High German stürn to poke, stir, Norwegian styrja to cause a commotion; see storm, sturgeon

stir²

noun

a slang word for prison in stir

Word Origin

C19: perhaps from Romany stariben prison

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stirring

n.

"a beginning to move," mid-14c., verbal noun from stir (v). Figurative sense by late 14c. Related: Stirrings.

stir

v.

Old English styrian, from Proto-Germanic *sturjanan (cf. Middle Dutch stoeren, Dutch storen "to disturb," Old High German storan "to scatter, destroy," German stören "to disturb"), probably from the root of storm (q.v.). The noun sense of "commotion, disturbance, tumult" (late 14c., in phrase on steir) is probably from Old Norse styrr "disturbance, tumult" (see storm), from the same Proto-Germanic root; the sense of "movement, bustle" is probably from the English verb. Stir-fry (v.) is attested from 1959.

Idioms and Phrases with stirring

stir

In addition to the idioms beginning with stir

stir up
stir up a hornets' nest

also see:

cause a commotion (stir)

stirring

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Origin of stir1

Synonyms

Synonym study

Antonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for stirring

Contemporary Examples

Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Add chocolate and butter to the bowl and melt, stirring to combine.

Economic development, then, is not simply about adding a cornucopia of talent or cool, then shaking and stirring it like a drink.

Sprinkle on the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Joseph Heller called it the “most stirring and lucid account of World War II that I have ever read.”

Historical Examples

The captain had told him to be back in an hour, and he felt that it was time for him to be stirring.

What I hear at night is the creaking of stairs, when I know that nobody ought to be stirring.

When Nicias had concluded his stirring appeal, the embarkation of the troops began.

This was done, and I was up and dressed before any other member of the family was stirring.

The liquor of oysters should never be thickened by stirring in flour.

stirring

stir1

Word Origin

stir2

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for stirring

n.

stir

v.

Idioms and Phrases with stirring

stir

Origin of stirring

stir¹

Origin of stir¹

stir¹

stir²