churning up
Roiling the surface
Churning up combines the agitation of churning with the exposure of bringing something up.
Water churns up when turbulence roils it: The storm churned up massive waves.
Digging or disturbance churns up earth, sediment, or buried objects: Construction churned up old bottles and coins.
Emotions get churned up when something stirs feelings you'd rather leave settled: The anniversary churned up painful memories.
- agitatingDisturbing or stirring up
- stirringArousing strong emotion
- whipping upMaking something quickly
- reshapingAltering structure or form
- disruptingInterfering with normal function
aerating · mixing · upheaving · roiling · rough seas · revolution · scattering · restructuring · thrashing · making waves · erosion · muddying the waters · frothing · splashing · chaos · dredging · confusion · reforming
churning upsettling down
Becoming stable and rooted
settling · calming down · calming · stilling · soothing
churning upsmoothing
Reducing irregularities systematically
settling · leaving alone · flattening · leveling · calming