whip up
Britishverb
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to excite; arouse
to whip up a mob
to whip up discontent
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informal to prepare quickly
to whip up a meal
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Arouse, excite, as in The speaker whipped up the mob [Early 1800s]
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Prepare quickly, as in I can easily whip up some lunch . This usage was first recorded in 1611.
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.
“We grew up with not a lot of means,” he said, recalling his mother’s magical ability “to whip up a whole meal with just canned tuna or cheese sandwiches.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Cartoons and toys have long been used by governments to rally their people and whip up fear against enemies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
"Because they're so influential, knowing more about the magnetism of AGNs, and how they whip up winds such as these, is key to understanding the history of galaxies throughout the Universe."
From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025
The free T-shirts usually doled out with abandon to whip up enthusiasm are more limited.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025
He tried to whip up his enthusiasm with thoughts of the fat juicy mice.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
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.
