stir

verb

/stɜː(r)/

/stɜːr/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they stir	/stɜː(r)/ /stɜːr/
he / she / it stirs	/stɜːz/ /stɜːrz/
past simple stirred	/stɜːd/ /stɜːrd/
past participle stirred	/stɜːd/ /stɜːrd/
-ing form stirring	/ˈstɜːrɪŋ/ /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

mix

[transitive] to move a liquid or substance around, using a spoon or something similar, in order to mix it completely搅动；搅和；搅拌

stir something She stirred her tea.她搅了搅茶。
Stir the paint before you use it.使用前先把油漆搅和一下。
stir something into something The vegetables are stirred into the rice while it is hot.趁米饭热时把蔬菜拌进去。
stir something in Stir in the milk until the sauce thickens.把牛奶搅进去，直到酱汁变稠为止。

Synonyms mixmixstir ▪ mingle ▪ blendThese words all refer to substances, qualities, ideas or feelings combining or being combined.mix to combine two or more substances, qualities, ideas or feelings, usually in a way that means they cannot easily be separated; to be combined in this way:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.把所有的配料放入碗里混合在一起。
Oil and water do not mix.油和水不相融。

stir to move a liquid or substance around, using a spoon or something similar, in order to mix it completely:

She stirred her tea.她搅了搅茶。

mingle to combine or be combined. Mingle can be used to talk about sounds, colours, feelings, ideas, qualities or substances. It is used in written English to talk about how a scene or event appears to somebody or how they experience it: The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. • He felt a kind of happiness mingled with regret. blend to mix two or more substances or flavours together; to be mixed together:

Blend the flour with the milk to make a smooth paste.把面粉和牛奶调成均匀的面糊。

mix or blend?If you blend things when you are cooking you usually combine them more completely than if you just mix them. Mix can be used to talk about colours, feelings or qualities as well as food and substances. In this meaning blend is mostly used in the context of cooking. It is also used to talk about art, music, fashion, etc. with the meaning of ‘combine in an attractive way’.Patterns

to mix/mingle/blend (something) with something
to mix/stir/mingle/blend something into something
to mix/stir/mingle/blend something together
to mix/stir/blend ingredients
to mix/mingle/blend flavours
to mix/blend colours
mixed/mingled feelings
to mix/stir/blend something thoroughly/well/gently

Collocations CookingCookingPreparing

prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
knead/shape/roll (out) the dough

Cooking

heat the oil in a frying pan
preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
reduce the heat
simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
mash the potatoes/banana/avocado

Ways of cooking

cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
toast bread/nuts
microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal

Serving

serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
dress/toss a salad
dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper

Extra Examples

Boil the mixture, stirring frequently.把混合液煮沸，同时不停地搅动。
Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.加热至沸腾，同时不停地搅动。
Chop an onion and stir it into the sauce.把一个洋葱切碎并搅到酱汁里。
Gradually stir in the beaten egg.慢慢搅入打成糊的鸡蛋。
Stir over a medium heat for three minutes.用中火加热并搅拌 3 分钟。

Topics Cooking and eatingc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

thoroughly
well
carefully
…

preposition

into

phrases

stir over a high, low, etc. heat

move

[intransitive, transitive] to move, or to make something move, slightly（使）微动

She heard the baby stir in the next room.她听见婴儿在隔壁动弹。
stir something/somebody A slight breeze was stirring the branches.微风吹动着树枝。
A noise stirred me from sleep.响声把我从睡梦中惊醒。

Extra Examples

Nothing stirred except the wind.除了风以外, 一切都静止不动。
The wind came in tiny puffs that hardly stirred the surface of the water.微风阵阵，几乎没有吹皱水面。

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

barely
hardly
slightly
…

phrases

stir in your sleep

[intransitive, transitive] to move, or to make somebody move, in order to do something（使）行动，活动

You haven't stirred from that chair all evening!你坐在那把椅子上一晚上没动了！
stir yourself/somebody Come on, stir yourself. You're late!快，快走吧。你要迟到了！
stir somebody into/to something Their complaints have finally stirred him into action.他们的抱怨最终促使他采取了行动。

Extra Examples

The students stirred restlessly in their seats.学生们在座位上坐立不安。
She could hear the baby stirring in the next room.她听见婴儿在隔壁房间动弹。

feelings

[transitive] to make somebody excited or make them feel something strongly打动；激发

It's a book that really stirs the imagination.这是一本真正能够激发想象力的书。
stir somebody She was stirred by his sad story.他那悲惨的故事打动了她。
stir somebody to something The preachers were stirred to new zeal.传教士们被激起了新的热情。

Extra Examples

He was stirred by the child's sad story.那孩子的悲惨经历打动了他。
It was not music to set hearts on fire or deeply stir the emotions.这不是那种能够点燃内心之火或者深深激发情感的音乐。
The encounter stirred long-forgotten feelings within her.这次邂逅激起了她内心深处遗忘已久的感情。
This brutal killing has stirred the nation's conscience.这场残暴的杀戮唤起了国民的良知。

Topics Feelingsc2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

deeply
up

[intransitive] (of a feeling or a mood) to begin to be felt开始感到；逐渐产生；萌动；被唤起

A feeling of guilt began to stir in her.她心里渐渐生出了内疚感。
New optimism was stirring throughout the country.新的乐观情绪正在全国各地兴起。

cause trouble

[transitive, intransitive] stir (it) (British English, informal, disapproving) to try to cause trouble拨弄是非

You're just stirring it!你这不是搬弄是非吗！

see also stirrerTopics Opinion and argumentc2

More Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs

bob
club
dub
grab
rub
sob
throb

kid
nod
pad
plod
prod
shred
skid
thud

beg
blog
bug
drag
drug
flag
hug
jog
log
mug
nag
plug

bar
confer
infer
occur
prefer
refer
star
stir
transfer

acquit
admit
allot
chat
clot
commit
jut
knit
pat
regret
rot
spot
submit

appal
cancel
channel
control
counsel
enrol
equal
excel
fuel
fulfil
label
level
marvel
model
pedal
quarrel
signal
travel

Word OriginOld English styrian, of Germanic origin; related to German stören ‘disturb’.

Idioms

stir the blood

to make somebody excited使人兴奋；激起热情
- The atmosphere in a theatre never failed to stir her blood.剧院里的气氛总是让她热血沸腾。
Topics Feelingsc2

stir your stumps

(old-fashioned, British English, informal) to begin to move; to hurry起身走；赶快