stir
/stɝ/ verb B1- 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.· He stirred his coffee so the sugar wouldn't stay at the bottom.
- To disturb the content of (a container) by passing an object through it. · Would you please stir this pot so that the chocolate doesn't burn?
- To emotionally affect; to touch, to move.
- To incite to action.
- To bring into debate; to agitate.
- To change the place of in any manner; to move.
- To begin to move, especially gently, from a still or unmoving position.
- Of a feeling or emotion: to rise, begin to be felt.
Plural stir · He/she/it stirs · Past stirred · Past participle stirred · -ing form stirring
Verb forms
- Base form
- stir
- He/she/it
- stirs
- Past
- stirred
- Past participle
- stirred
- -ing form
- stirring
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
Alice glanced rather anxiously at the cook, to see if she meant to take the hint; but the cook was busily stirring the soup, and seemed not to be listening, so she went on again: “Twenty-four hours, I _think_; or is it twelve?
Stir a whisker, Lungri, and I ram the Red Flower down thy gullet!” He beat Shere Khan over the head with the branch, and the tiger whimpered and whined in an agony of fear.
“Bandar-log,” said the voice of Kaa at last, “can ye stir foot or hand without my order?
“Without thy order we cannot stir foot or hand, O Kaa!”
Other matches
Learn stir in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.