as in to provoke
to bring something (volatile or intense) into being
couldn't stir up any interest in a Saturday morning outing to the art museum
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stir (up)
Verb
-
And the choices may provoke some disagreement.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026 -
Antisemitic attacks have surged worldwide since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel for an attack that provoked a ferocious response from Israel that’s razed large parts of Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Member associations had appealed to soccer’s governing body to raise prize money because of cost concerns.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
That duplication has raised concerns about staff consolidations and widespread newsroom layoffs.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Stir (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stir%20%28up%29. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
