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 provoke (usually followed byup ).
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 byup ).
to stir up his potential.
to bring up for notice or discussion.
Older Use. to disturb; trouble.
A slow wave of remembrance stirred her peace.
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?
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.
to move an implement such as a spoon around in (a liquid) so as to mix up the constituents
she stirred the porridge
to change or cause to change position; disturb or be disturbed
he stirred in his sleep
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 awaken
to stir someone from sleep
to stir memories
informal to cause or incite others to cause (trouble, arguments, etc)
informal to move or become active
the act or an instance of stirring or the state of being stirred
a strong reaction, esp of excitement
his publication caused a stir
a slight movement
informal a noisy party
See ado.
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stiren, Old English styrian; cognate with German stören “to disturb, interrupt”; akin to Old Norse styrr “disturbance, brawl”; see storm
First rcorded in 1830–35; argot word of obscure origin; perhaps from Romani sturiben “prison,” staripen “imprison”; compare earlier argot start in same sense
To stir is to mix something up. You can literally stir cake batter with a spoon, or figuratively stir someone's emotions by writing them a heartfelt letter. You can stir muffin batter with a wooden spoon, and stir in a cup of blueberries. When people stir, they start to move after being still or asleep: "It was only five o'clock, but he could hear the kids start to stir." And when something stirs you, it brings up some emotion: "That music always stirs up my sad memories." Stir shares a root with the Old Norse styrr, "tumult or disturbance."
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Or maybe the rousing stories of ordinary people rising up against injustice stir something within him, something so deep that it allows him to forget which side of that conflict he’s on.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Britain's media watchdog Ofcom said it had written to online service providers about "the increased risk of their platforms being used to stir up hatred, provoke violence and commit other offences under UK law".
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
The big V6 doesn’t make so much of a stir so it can get by with hydroelastic mounts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Mythos caused a stir when it was announced in April, with Anthropic claiming it had found a weakness in one legacy system which had remained hidden for nearly 30 years.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Pa came in to stir things up again.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
