EN

Synonyms for stir

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

shake incite arouse instigate awaken waken

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Arouse — to incite to action

arouse, excite, provoke, stimulate, incite, raise, instigate, shake, evoke, bring up, foment, whip up, inflame, roil, spur, actuate, change place, induce, encourage, engender, urge, poke

2. Rouse — to rise from sleep or unconsciousness

rouse, wake, rise, awaken, disturb, waken, arise, awake

3. Agitate

agitate, shift, budge

Other

touch

Noun

1. Fuss — agitation; tumult; bustle; noise or various movements

fuss, commotion, bother, flurry, to-do, agitation, ado, confusion, excitement, splutter, hurry, flutter, tumult, bustle, brouhaha, disturbance, fracas, hullabaloo, activity, flap, ruffle, fidget

Other

get-up, splash, movement, shake-up, wake-up, work-up

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To incite to action.

  2. v. 2

    To rise from sleep or unconsciousness.

  3. v. 3

    To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it.

    She stirred the pudding with a spoon.

  4. n. 1

    agitation; tumult; bustle; noise or various movements.

Related words

Word family
stirrer
Phrases
stir up stir shit stand and stir cause a stir stir a finger stir the pot stir the embers
Other spellings
stur

Forms

Plural
stirs → fusses, commotions, bothers, flurries…
Past participle
stirred
e.g. stirred → aroused, excited, provoked, stimulated…

Choose the right word

Stir, Prompt, Dispose, Draw, Incline or Influence?

Prompt and stir are words of mere suggestion toward some course of action; dispose, draw, incline, influence, and lead refer to the use of mild means to awaken in another a purpose or disposition to act.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • shake New GATT resolutions could create a real shake-up.
  • incite The speaker tried to incite the people to rebellion.
  • arouse Events of that type generally arouse suspicion.
  • instigate Feminists instigate women against men.
  • awaken The cock and the other birds awaken me in the morning.
  • waken I didn't expect you to be waken up so early in the morning.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
stirrising
shakerising
incitesteady
arousefalling
instigaterising
awakenrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
ado2
4 letters
wake1, rise1, urge1, spur1, poke1, fuss1, flap1, roil1
5 letters
touch1, raise1, shift1, shake1, awake2, hurry2, arise2, evoke2, budge1, rouse1, waken2
6 letters
bother2, splash1, induce2, awaken3, excite2, incite2, flurry2, bustle2, arouse2, ruffle2, tumult2, fidget2, foment2, fracas2
7 letters
disturb2, provoke2, flutter2, inflame2, agitate3, actuate3
8 letters
movement2, activity4, engender3, brouhaha3, splutter
9 letters
encourage3, confusion3, stimulate3, agitation4, commotion3, instigate3
10 letters
excitement3, hullabaloo4
11 letters
disturbance3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ado2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
remuer
Italiano
muovere
Català
bellugar