stirring

Everyday

1. (verb) Stirring is moving a spoon or stick round and round in a liquid or mixture to mix it. tree →
2. (verb) Moving slightly, or starting to wake up. tree →
3. (adjective) Stirring music or words make you feel strong emotion, like pride or excitement. tree →
4. (informal) Stirring trouble is trying to make people argue. tree →

In the lessons

Used in cooking and science: stirring helps sugar dissolve faster in water (a fair test variable). In stories: "something was stirring in the bushes", "a stirring speech". Phrase: "stirring up trouble".

Examples

• Keep stirring the soup so it doesn't burn. tree →
• Stirring helps the sugar dissolve faster. tree →
• Something was stirring in the dark. tree →
• The baby is stirring; she will wake soon. tree →
• The captain gave a stirring speech before the match. tree →
• Stop stirring up trouble between your friends. tree →
• We sang a stirring song at assembly. tree →
• "Aye," says she, and went on stirring. tree →

Note

-ing form of "stir": the r is doubled (stirred, stirring). In science investigations, stirring or not stirring is one variable to change.