Synonyms of stirs

stirs 1 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of stir

1

as in swirls

to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly

the recipe says to stir the mixture carefully until it's properly blended

Synonyms & Similar Words

• swirls
• washes
• shakes
• churns
• whirls
• whisks
• agitates
• whips
• beats
• reels
• wheels
• paddles

2

as in shifts

to change one's position

the cat stirred, then opened its eyes and slowly got to its feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shifts
• moves
• squirms
• twitches
• fidgets
• rouses
• wiggles
• writhes
• locomotes
• tosses
• budges
• wriggles
• jiggles
• fiddles
• squiggles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• freezes
• remains
• stays
• stills
• hangs around
• stabilizes
• tarries
• sticks around

3

as in provokes

to rouse to strong feeling or action

news coverage of the fire stirred many to send donations to a fund for the families who had lost their homes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• provokes
• encourages
• stimulates
• arouses
• inspires
• sparks
• incites
• moves
• excites
• motivates
• instigates
• induces
• piques
• drives
• motives
• triggers
• ignites
• fires (up)
• revs (up)
• impassions
• activates
• galvanizes
• inflames
• energizes
• animates
• kindles
• angers
• quickens
• builds a fire under
• vitalizes
• bothers
• foments
• fans
• sets off
• enrages
• raises
• keys (up)
• ferments
• gets
• upsets
• whips (up)
• pumps up
• abets
• annoys
• teases
• maddens
• aggravates
• irritates
• taunts
• exasperates
• vexes
• jeers
• galls

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calms
• soothes
• subdues
• appeases
• tranquilizes
• placates
• pacifies
• mollifies

stirs

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural of stir

1

as in commotions

a state of noisy, confused activity

the plane's first jolt caused a stir among the passengers, and by the third one they were in a panic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commotions
• disturbances
• fusses
• clatters
• turmoils
• roars
• noises
• storms
• bustles
• fun
• bothers
• whirls
• clutters
• rows
• rackets
• coils
• blathers
• hurricanes
• uproars
• squalls
• tumults
• furors
• pandemoniums
• furores
• zoos
• kerfuffles
• alarums and excursions
• ruckuses
• stews
• ballyhoos
• williwaws
• howls
• bluster
• hubbubs
• foofaraws
• rumpuses
• hurlies
• pothers
• ructions
• moils
• hullabaloos
• flurries
• shindys
• splores
• hooplas
• ados
• clamors
• welters
• hurly-burlies
• to-dos
• hurry-scurries
• flutters
• hoo-has
• outcries
• bobberies
• upheavals
• hubble-bubbles
• helter-skelters
• eruptions
• dins
• cacophonies
• brawls
• outbursts
• disorders
• dos
• frays
• scuffles
• hue and cries
• outbreaks
• dithers
• fevers
• flare-ups
• lathers
• fracases
• frets
• tizzies
• melees
• hassles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calms
• quiets
• rests
• hushes
• peaces
• tranquilities
• orders
• quietudes

2

as in moves

the act or an instance of changing position

we were warned that the slightest stir would scare the mother bird so we hardly dared to breathe

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moves
• shifts
• stirrings
• movements
• motions
• squirms
• migrations
• relocations
• dislocations
• mobilities
• locomotions
• motivities
• motilities
• fiddlings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stops
• pauses
• finishes
• immobilities
• halts
• inertias
• lapses
• stoppages
• shutdowns
• endings
• terminations
• expirations
• discontinuances
• cessations
• shutoffs
• surceases

stirs

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural of stir, slang

as in jails

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

the mule had just got out of stir and was being followed by the feds, who had their sights set on the kingpin of the operation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jails
• prisons
• penitentiaries
• brigs
• pens
• clinks
• holds
• slams
• bastilles
• big houses
• coolers
• jugs
• hocks
• coops
• lockups
• stockades
• quods
• cans
• pokeys
• cages
• bridewells
• calabooses
• nicks
• hoosegows
• tolbooths
• jailhouses
• keeps
• joints
• tanks
• cells
• slammers
• bull pens
• guardrooms
• dungeons
• holes
• wards
• labor camps
• concentration camps
• hulks
• work camps
• prison camps
• blocks
• glasshouses
• guardhouses
• stalags
• gulags
• reform schools
• training schools
• reformatories
• oubliettes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outsides

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stirs

Verb

As the rise of artificial intelligence stirs anxiety over the technology taking people's jobs, AI is also opening pathways to new careers, according to LinkedIn. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

If travel, coursework, or a belief debate stirs friction, skip arguing about theory in favor of grounding the talk with real-life examples. —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

The intuitive Moon stirs your 7th House of Companionship, squaring fortuitous Jupiter in your 4th House of Care, so promises and comfort could pull in opposite directions. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026

In a cave that sheltered freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, their uncle shares a story of a creature that stirs at night. —William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026

Where the pre-retroshade plants seeds and the retrograde stirs them up, the post-retroshade is where clarity arrives and choices get made. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026

Creative courage returns as the instinctive Moon conjoins mischievous Mercury in your 5th House of Play, urging you to express whatever stirs within. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2026

Last year’s first-round pick and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is the straw that stirs the drink for the entire offense. —Mike Kaye updated March 11, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026

So news of yet another live-action Tinker Bell project probably stirs something between hope and wariness. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026

Noun

Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk. —Patricia S York, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026