VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/stir

⇱ stir - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

stir

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈstɜːr/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/stɝ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(stûr)

Inflections of 'stir' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
stirs
v 3rd person singular
stirring
v pres p
stirred
v past
stirred
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
stir1 /stɜr/USA pronunciation   v., stirred, stir•ring, n. 
v. 
  1. to mix or agitate (a liquid or other substance) with a continuous movement of a spoon, a stick, etc.:[~ + object]I stirred sugar into my coffee.
  2. to move in a fluttering, irregular motion: [~ + object]A soft breeze stirred the leaves.[no object]The leaves stirred in the soft breeze.
  3. to move, esp. in a slight way: [~ + object]He didn't stir a finger to help.[no object]She was sleeping so soundly she didn't stir when I came in.
  4. to excite (people or their feelings), as from a quiet state into an active one: [~ + object]to stir pity.[~ + up + object]He enjoys stirring up trouble over nothing.[~ + object + up]stirring them up to revolt.[no object]At long last the people stirred and recognized him for the crook that he was.
  5. to move around, esp. quickly: [no object]The children were awake and stirring before dawn.[~ + object]to stir oneself.

n. [countable]
  1. the act of stirring or moving:a few slow stirs of the coffee.
  2. a state or occasion of general excitement;
    commotion:[usually singular]What's all the stir?
stir•rer, n. [countable]

stir2 /stɜr/USA pronunciation   n. [uncountable]
  1. Slang Termsprison.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
stir1 (stûr),USA pronunciation 
v.t. 
  1. 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.
  2. to set in tremulous, fluttering, or irregular motion:A soft breeze stirred the leaves.
  3. to affect strongly;
    excite:to stir pity; to stir one's heart.
  4. to incite, instigate, or prompt (usually fol. by up):to stir up a people to rebellion.
  5. to move briskly;
    bestir:to stir oneself.
  6. to move, esp. in a slight way:He would not stir a finger to help them.
  7. to rouse from inactivity, quiet, contentment, indifference, etc. (usually fol. by up):to stir up his potential.
  8. to bring up for notice or discussion.
  9. to disturb;
    trouble.

v.i. 
  1. to move, esp. slightly or lightly:Not a leaf stirred.
  2. to move around, esp. briskly;
    be active:Everyone in the house was stirring.
  3. to become active, as from some rousing or quickening impulse.
  4. to be emotionally moved or strongly affected.
  5. to be in circulation, current, or afoot:Is there any news stirring?

n. 
  1. the act of stirring or moving.
  2. the sound made by stirring or moving slightly.
  3. a state or occasion of general excitement;
    commotion:The news created a stir.
  4. a mental impulse, sensation, or feeling:a stir of hope.
  5. a jog, poke, or thrust:He gave the refuse a stir with his foot.
  6. movement, esp. brisk and busy movement:There was too much clamor and stir for her.
  • bef. 900; Middle English stiren (verb, verbal), Old English styrian; cognate with German stören; akin to Old Norse styrr disturbance; see storm
stir′ra•ble, adj. 
stir′less, adj. 
stir′less•ly, adv. 
    1. disturb. 4. rouse, foment, arouse, provoke, stimulate, goad, spur. 17. fuss, pother, agitation, disorder, uproar. See ado. 20. bustle,
    17. quiet.
stir2 (stûr),USA pronunciation n. [Slang.]
  1. Slang Termsprison.
  • 1850–55; argot word of obscure orig; compare earlier argot start in same sense

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stir /stɜː/ vb (stirs, stirring, stirred)
  1. to move an implement such as a spoon around in (a liquid) so as to mix up the constituents: she stirred the porridge
  2. to change or cause to change position; disturb or be disturbed: he stirred in his sleep
  3. (intransitive) often followed by from: to venture or depart (from one's usual or preferred place): he won't stir from the fireside
  4. (intransitive) to be active after a rest; be up and about
  5. (transitive) to excite or stimulate, esp emotionally
  6. to move (oneself) briskly or vigorously; exert (oneself)
  7. (transitive) to rouse or awaken: to stir someone from sleep, to stir memories
  8. informal
    when tr, followed by up: to cause or incite others to cause (trouble, arguments, etc)
  9. stir one's stumps ⇒ informal to move or become active
 n
  1. the act or an instance of stirring or the state of being stirred
  2. a strong reaction, esp of excitement: his publication caused a stir
  3. a slight movement
  4. NZ informal a noisy party
Etymology: Old English styrian; related to Middle High German stürn to poke, stir, Norwegian styrja to cause a commotion; see storm, sturgeon
stir /stɜː/ n
  1. a slang word for prison: in stir
Etymology: 19th Century: perhaps from Romany stariben prison
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Stir. abbreviation for
  1. Stirlingshire
'stir' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: give it a [few, couple, of] stirs, stir the [pot, soup, gravy], give it a [good, gentle] stir, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "stir" in the title:

"a man does not use his tongue to stir honey"
a stir
a stirring and the desire to stir
ability to stir
add-water-and-stir
all it needs is <for> something or someone to stir people up
and she began to sing, rather <stir> I thought
as I stir iced tea
Bestir vs stir
British synonym for stir crazy.
cause a stir
cook vs grill/boil/stir-fry.. etc.
Do you stir or beat the egg?
doesn't so much stir hot-button issues as showcase
Emotions they stir
has created stir/commotion/sensation
If you can’t stir with the big girls, stay away from the cauldron.
if you move so that you stir the dust at all
in stir
in the flash and stir
make a stir about it
mix well, stir well
Mix- stir - beat - whisk
mix/stir/blend ?
my feet do not stir
my last stir IN the banana bread / raisins IN it
O.Henry (A Retrieved reformation): stir
or you'll stir up a hornet's nest
out of stir
plurals, "stir-fried prawns"
more...

Look up "stir" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "stir" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.