What Does “Stir sb up” Mean?
“Stir sb up” means to cause someone to feel excited, angry, or emotionally disturbed. It often involves provoking or encouraging strong feelings in a person.
Introduction
The phrasal verb “stir sb up” is commonly used in everyday English to describe when someone causes another person to feel a strong emotion, usually agitation or excitement. Understanding the stir sb up meaning helps learners recognize when someone is being provoked or emotionally influenced. This phrase can be used in many situations where feelings are intensified, whether it’s anger, excitement, or nervousness. Knowing how to use “stir sb up” correctly makes your English sound more natural and expressive.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: Stir somebody up
- Type: Transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: To provoke or excite someone emotionally
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Stir sb up” is a separable phrasal verb. You can place the object (sb) between the verb and the particle or after the particle.
- Stir someone up
- Stir up someone
Both forms are correct, but “stir someone up” is more common.
How to Use Stir sb up?
You use “stir sb up” when talking about causing someone to feel strong emotions, especially negative ones like anger or frustration. It can also mean encouraging excitement or enthusiasm. It often appears in informal and conversational English.
Examples
Here are some examples to show how you can use “stir sb up in a sentence”:
- The politician’s speech really stirred the crowd up.
- Don’t stir her up; she’s already upset.
- He knows just how to stir me up when I’m feeling lazy.
- That comment stirred the team up before the big game.
- Stop stirring up trouble between your friends.
Common Mistakes
Sometimes, learners confuse “stir sb up” with other verbs or use the wrong word order. Here are some common mistakes:
- Incorrect: Stir up her feelings.
- Correct: Stir her up (or Stir up her feelings).
- Incorrect: Stir she up.
- Correct: Stir her up.
Remember to use the correct object pronoun after “stir.”
Differences / Synonyms
“Stir sb up” is similar to “wind sb up,” “get sb worked up,” or “provoke sb,” but there are slight differences:
- Wind sb up: Usually means to tease or annoy someone playfully.
- Get sb worked up: Means to make someone emotionally upset or excited.
- Provoke sb: More formal; means to cause anger or strong reactions.
“Stir sb up” can be used for both positive and negative emotional reactions, but often implies causing agitation.
Common Collocations
People often use “stir sb up” with certain words to describe what emotions are involved or what is being caused:
- Stir up emotions – to cause feelings
- Stir up trouble – to cause problems
- Stir up anger – to provoke anger
- Stir up excitement – to create enthusiasm
- Stir up feelings – to evoke emotions
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of stir sb up:
Real-life Dialogue
Imagine two friends talking about a recent argument:
Anna: I think you shouldn’t have said that to Mark. You really stirred him up.
John: I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to get him interested in the project.
Anna: Well, you definitely stirred up some strong feelings!
Practice
Try to complete the sentences with the correct form of “stir sb up”:
- Don’t __________ her __________; she’s very sensitive.
- The news __________ the crowd __________ quickly.
- He loves to __________ people __________ during debates.
- That comment really __________ me __________.
FAQ
- What does “stir sb up” mean? It means to provoke or excite someone emotionally.
- Is “stir sb up” formal or informal? It is mostly informal and used in everyday conversation.
- Can “stir sb up” be used positively? Yes, it can mean causing excitement or enthusiasm, not just anger.
- Is “stir sb up” separable? Yes, you can say “stir someone up” or “stir up someone.”
- What are some synonyms for “stir sb up”? Wind sb up, get sb worked up, provoke sb.
