stir
[verb]
Synonyms:
- mix, agitate, beat, shake
- stimulate, arouse, awaken, excite, incite, provoke, rouse, spur
[noun]
Synonyms:
- commotion, activity, bustle, disorder, disturbance, excitement, flurry, fuss

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Antonyms: tranquillity
Contrasted words: calm, peace, placidity, inaction, inactivity
Related Idioms: make (or have) an impact on, set astir, set on fire
Related Words: excite, galvanize, inspire, provoke, quicken, stimulate, agitate, foment, incite, instigate, activate, energize, vitalize, actuate, drive, impel, move, roust, rout, agitation, disquiet, stir-up, commotion, disturbance, din, hubbub, pandemonium, stirabout, tumult

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English Thesaurus: beat, defeat, trounce, thrash, wipe the floor with somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. stir¹ S3 W3 /stɜː $ stɜːr/ verb (past tense and past participle stirred, present participle stirring)
[Language: Old English; Origin: styrian]

1. MIX [transitive] to move a liquid or substance around with a spoon or stick in order to mix it together:
Stir the paint to make sure it is smooth.
stir something with something
She stirred her coffee with a plastic spoon.
stir something in/into something
Stir a cup of cooked brown rice into the mixture.

2. MOVE SLIGHTLY [intransitive and transitive] to move slightly, or to make something move slightly:
The crowd began to stir as they waited for the band to start.
A gentle breeze stirred the curtains.

3. LEAVE A PLACE [intransitive] to leave or move from a place:
He hadn’t stirred from his chair all morning.

4. FEELINGS
a) [transitive] to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction
stir memories/emotions etc
Looking at the photographs stirred childhood memories of the long hot summers.
The poem succeeds in stirring the imagination.
b) [intransitive] if a feeling stirs in you, you begin to feel it:
Excitement stirred inside her.

5. DO SOMETHING [transitive] to make someone start doing something
stir somebody to do something
The incident stirred students to protest.

6. CAUSE TROUBLE be stirring (it) British English informal to cause trouble between people by spreading false or secret information:
Ben’s always stirring!
stir somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb

1. to deliberately try to cause arguments or bad feelings between people:
John was always stirring up trouble in class.
Dave’s just trying to stir things up because he’s jealous.

2. to make small pieces of something move around in the air or in water:
The wind had stirred up a powdery red dust.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. stir² noun
[Sense 1-2: Date: 1300-1400; Origin: ⇒ stir¹]
[Sense 3: Date: 1800-1900; Origin: Perhaps from Romany stariben, sturraben 'prison']

1. [countable usually singular] a feeling of excitement or annoyance
create/cause a stir
Plans for the motorway caused quite a stir among locals.

2. [countable usually singular] an act of stirring something:
Give that pan a stir, will you?

3. [uncountable and countable] American English old-fashioned informal a prison

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

stir
noun
I. action of stirring
ADJ. good
VERB + STIR give sth Give the mixture a good stir.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stir
II. general excitement or shock
ADJ. considerable, great, real
VERB + STIR cause, create
PREP. ~ about/over There was quite a stir about the book.
~ among/amongst The discovery caused something of a stir among physicists.
PHRASES quite a/something of a stir

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stir
verb
I. move a liquid round and round
ADV. thoroughly, well | carefully, gently | vigorously | gradually | all the time, constantly, continuously Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
occasionally | in Gradually stir in the beaten egg.
PREP. into Chop an onion and stir it into the sauce.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stir
II. move
ADV. barely, hardly The wind came in tiny puffs that hardly stirred the surface of the water.
slightly | suddenly | restlessly The students stirred restlessly in their seats.
sleepily | uneasily
PHRASES stir in your sleep

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stir
III. make sb feel an emotion
ADV. deeply, greatly It was not music to set hearts on fire or deeply stir the emotions.
up Going back there stirred up a lot of memories for her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

beat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English:
We should have beaten them easily.
I always beat my brother at tennis.
defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing:
England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.
Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game:
They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game:
Of course, they totally creamed the other team.
I hope we thrash them!
wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument:
She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.
They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
They chopped down the old tree.
finely chopped onion
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or scissors:
Do you want me to cut the cake?
He cut off the lower branches.
snip to quickly cut something, especially using scissors:
I snipped the label off.
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
She slit through the plastic covering.
slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
He tried to slash his wrists.
saw to cut wood, using a saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points):
Saw the wood to the correct length.
slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
Slice the bread thinly.
peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
trim (also clip) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
Trim the excess fat off the meat.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style:
The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order:
The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix:
Combine the flour and the eggs.
Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
Stir the paint before you use it.
blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

move to go to a different place, or change the position of your body:
Sarah moved away from the window.
Every time I move I get a pain in my left shoulder.
sway to move slowly from one side to the other:
The branches swayed in the wind.
Donny swayed drunkenly as he walked back to his car.
rock to move repeatedly from one side to another, with small gentle movements:
He rocked backward and forward in his chair.
The boat rocked from side to side with the waves.
wobble to move unsteadily from side to side:
The bike wobbled a bit, but she soon got it under control.
fidget to keep moving or playing with your fingers, hands, feet etc, because you are bored or nervous:
Diana fidgeted nervously with her pencil.
squirm to make very small movements from side to side with your body, especially because you feel uncomfortable:
By the end of the hour, most of the children were squirming in their seats.
wriggle to make small movements from side to side, especially in order to get into or out of something:
The dog wriggled under the fence and escaped into the street.
She managed to wriggle into the dress, but it was much too tight.
twitch if part of your body twitches, it makes small movements that you cannot control:
A muscle on Yang’s face twitched.
stir written to make a movement – used especially when describing a situation in which no one moves, or someone wakes up:
In the village a dog barked but no one stirred
The sleeping child stirred and opened her eyes.
budge to move – used when you are trying hard to make something move, often without success:
The piano wouldn’t budge.
relocate to move to a different place – used about companies, organizations, and people who work for them:
NATO’s main headquarters relocated to Brussels.
Klein is relocating to London to head up the investment banking team.
still not moving – use this especially about people who are not moving, or about places where there is no wind:
There was no wind and the trees were completely still.
Keep still while I tie your shoes.
stationary not moving – use this about cars, trains, or objects:
The truck swerved and hit a stationary vehicle.
immobile not moving or not able to move, especially because of fear or tiredness:
As the disease progressed, she became increasingly immobile.
motionless completely still – used especially in literature:
Kemp sat motionless as the verdict was read.
calm not moving because there is no wind – use this about air and water:
The lake was calm.
be at a standstill if traffic is at a standstill it is not moving:
Traffic was at a standstill on the motorway.
make a move
We made the move mainly for financial reasons.
make no move
The government made no move to hold the promised elections.
welcome the move
Environmentalists welcomed the move to limit the length of fishing nets.
oppose a move
Union members have opposed the move.
support a move
The move was supported by the government.
a move is aimed at doing something/is designed to do something
The move is aimed at strengthening its business in the region.
an important move
I cannot decide on such an important move on my own.
a bold/daring move (=taking a lot of courage)
The writers made a bold move by kiling off the main character.
a good/smart/wise move (=sensible)
I’m not sure it was a good move giving him the job.
the right move
He hoped he had made the right move in telling his father.
an unprecedented move (=never having happened before)
Barcelona began the unprecedented move of shipping in drinking water.
sb’s next move (=the next thing someone does)
What should happen next? What’s our next move?
a bad move
It was a bad move letting him come here in the first place.
a false/wrong move (=made by mistake)
One wrong move and the business might never recover.
the first move
She waited for Michael to make the first move.
a career move (=a decision that will improve the type of job you can do)
It looked like a good career move, with the possibility of promotion later.
there are moves afoot to do something British English (=there are plans, especially secret ones, to do something)
There are moves afoot to change things.
a move in the right direction
The decision seemed to be a move in the right direction.
watch/follow sb’s every move
His eyes followed Cissy’s every move.
a sudden move
She made a sudden move towards me from the doorway.
action noun [countable] something that someone does:
He is responsible for his own actions.
They refused to give a reason for their actions.
act noun [countable] a particular type of action:
violent acts
⇒ act of violence/kindness/defiance etc:
I believe the killing was an act of desperation.
activities noun [plural] things that people do, especially for enjoyment or to achieve an aim:
leisure activities
political activities
Surveys may not give a true picture of people’s activities.
behaviour British English, behavior American English noun [uncountable] the things that someone does and the way they behave:
Do you think that advertisements really influence people’s behaviour?
The man’s behaviour seemed rather odd.
step noun [countable] one of a series of things that you do in order to deal with a problem or to succeed:
The first step is to make sure we have got funding for the project.
We must take steps to make sure that this does not happen again.
This is an important step towards peace.
measure noun [countable] an official action that is intended to deal with a particular problem:
There are increased security measures at airports.
The school was closed as a precautionary measure following a chemical leak.
gesture noun [countable] something that you do to show how you feel about someone or something:
Do you think it would be a nice gesture to send her some flowers?
⇒ gesture of goodwill/solidarity/defiance:
The company gave us £100 as a gesture of goodwill.
deed noun [countable] especially literary an action, especially one that is very good or very bad:
evil deeds
heroic deeds
This is my good deed for the day.
exploits noun [plural] formal exciting or brave actions:
daring exploits
His exploits were legendary.
feat noun [countable] something someone does that people admire because you need a lot of skill, courage, or strength to do it:
Completing a marathon is a remarkable feat for a six-year-old.
The bridge is a great feat of engineering.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲