Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stir up

/ˈstɜː.ɹʌp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.96 in modern English

Syllables: stir up
IPA: /ˈstɜː.ɹʌp/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To arouse or excite (passion or action, etc.).

Transitive verb

verb

To mix (ingredients) by stirring.

Transitive verb

verb

To move or disturb slightly; to make turbid.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"What one man can do himself directly is but little. If however he can stir up ten others to take up the task he has accomplished much."
"All those wretched quarrels, in his humble opinion, stirring up bad blood, from some bump of combativeness or gland of some kind, erroneously supposed to be about a punctilio of honour and a flag […]"
"These women are experts at flattery, cajolery and sexual excitation, and also possess unusual talents for stirring up quarrels, stimulating jealousies and spreading slander and malicious rumors."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

stirs up (present, singular) stirring up (participle, present) stirred up (participle, past) stirred up (past)

Phrases

stir up a hornets' nest

Synonyms

instigate provoke abet actuate goose fuel light a fire under send sting bring about cheer draw

Questions

How do you pronounce stir up?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstɜː.ɹʌp/.
What does stir up mean?: To arouse or excite (passion or action, etc.).

How to pronounce stir up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “stir up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈstɜː.ɹʌp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “stir up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “stir up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.