whip up a storm

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

to create a big reaction or controversy

Literally: to stir or beat up a storm
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The politician's comments whipped up a storm in the media

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “whip up a storm” mean?

to create a big reaction or controversy Literally: to stir or beat up a storm

Is “whip up a storm” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.