bestir

verb

be·​stir bi-ˈstər How to pronounce bestir (audio)
bē-
bestirred; bestirring; bestirs

transitive verb

: to rouse to action : get going

Examples of bestir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Witnesses—from staffers and family members to congresspeople—conjured a muted Commander-in-Chief, who could not bestir himself, as armed rioters stormed the Capitol building, to rise from his seat at the head of the West Wing’s dining-room table and call off the mob. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 The New York Times finally bestirred itself to report on Reade’s charges, burying them on page A20 of its Easter Sunday edition. Nr Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2020 If the charges against Bob Kraft are proven to be true, then Goodell should bestir himself to punish the Patriots owner severely, and with something beyond a fine. Charles P. Pierce, Sports Illustrated, 16 Mar. 2019 Drew Nolan caused his coach, Harry Litwack, to bestir himself from the bench. Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, 8 June 2018 Nobody in all his years of coaching at Temple has bestirred Litwack from the bench so often as Drew Nolan. Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, 8 June 2018 And yet most of us have still not bestirred ourselves to care, much less to march in the streets demanding change. Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bestir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bestir was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bestir

Cite this Entry

“Bestir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestir. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bestir

verb
be·​stir bi-ˈstər How to pronounce bestir (audio)
: to stir up : rouse to action

More from Merriam-Webster on bestir

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