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Glite Dictionary
to churn up

to churn up

1 7.3
Make people feel strong disgust or moral upset
  • phrasal verb
  • /tʃɜrn ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : provocar desagrado
  • The documentary about animal cruelty churned up a lot of anger from the audience.

Examples

  • Her comments about the scandal really churned up disgust in the crowd.

  • Marino's truck is on the street out front, and two massive tires have chewed tracks into my snowy, churned-up lawn.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The gruesome details of the case churned up feelings of horror among the jurors.

Synonyms

to outrage
vsto churn up
143 3.9

Make people feel very angry and shocked

focuses on moral disgust and aversion without emphasizing anger
to horrify
vsto churn up
90 4.3

Make someone feel very shocked, afraid, or disgusted

focuses on moral aversion and disgust rather than fear or shock
to disgust
vsto churn up
83 2.1

To make someone feel strong dislike and sick because something is offensive

adds moral offense and aversion beyond mere disapproval
to turn off
vsto churn up
  • Informal
44 4.4

To make someone feel strong dislike

applies when moral offense or deep aversion is involved
to revolt
vsto churn up
29 5.3

Make someone feel strong disgust or moral horror

expresses the same strong disgust and moral objection in another phrasing
to sicken
vsto churn up
27 4.3

Make someone feel disgusted or shocked by bad actions

uses a different expression for the same reaction
to gross out
vsto churn up
  • Informal
14 7.3

Make someone feel disgusted or sick

focuses on moral aversion or offense rather than mere physical repulsion
to turn one's stomach
vsto churn up
6 7.0

To make you feel sick or disgusted

often refers to moral disgust and offense rather than just nausea
to repel
vsto churn up
5 5.1

Cause someone to feel strong dislike or disgust

is similar but may carry a stronger sense of moral offense
to nauseate
vsto churn up
3 6.9

To make someone feel sick or disgusted

expresses moral aversion or offense rather than only physical sickness
to revulse
vsto churn up
9.3

Make someone feel sudden shock or disgust

describes strong aversion that may be less sudden and more lasting
to make someone's skin crawl
vsto churn up
  • Informal
7.4

Cause a strong feeling of fear or disgust with a creepy physical feeling

is about moral disgust or offense rather than creeping physical discomfort

Antonyms

to satisfy
172 2.0

Make someone happy by meeting their need or wish

to appease
48 5.8

To calm someone by giving in to their demands

How Disgusting

to appall
64 5.5
to revolt
29 5.3
to churn up
  • Informal
1 7.3
to sicken
27 4.3
to disgust
83 2.1

Surface Forms

churn up infinitive
churned up past
churned up past participle
churning up present participle
churns up third person singular

Morphology

churn + up

The physical meaning of 'churn' (agitate violently) plus the particle 'up' conveys a metaphorical sense of agitating or stirring emotions, so a learner who knows the constituents can partially infer that it means to 'stir up' strong feelings. However, the specific nuance of causing aversion, disgust, or moral offence is a more specialized, metaphorical extension that is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partly transparent.

Etymology

The verb churn up comes from the image of a churn or machine that churns and brings dirt or foam up from the bottom. So to churn up feelings is to stir them violently and make 'disgust' or shock rise to the surface.