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Meaning trap

whip up

whip up (emotion/feeling)

to deliberately create or increase a strong feeling, especially excitement, anger, or fear, in a group of people

phrasal verbC1occasional

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

whip up (emotion/feeling)

to deliberately create or increase a strong feeling, especially excitement, anger, or fear, in a group of people

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Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • The politician tried to whip up anger among the crowd with his speech.communication
  • In some cases, social media can whip up strong emotions, making it difficult for people to have calm discussions about controversial topics.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: whip up + noun (emotion/feeling)

WrongHe whipped up with anger in the crowd.

RightHe whipped up anger in the crowd.

'Whip up' takes the object directly — no 'with'.

Patternwhip up + noun (emotion/feeling)

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff The speaker deliberately incited fervour among the crowd.

Natural The speaker whipped up the crowd.

'Whip up' is the punchy verb for stirring strong feeling in people; 'incited fervour' is formal.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • whip up + feeling
    supportangerhysteriathe crowd

Don't confuse it

This sense is figurative and refers to creating or intensifying emotions in others, unlike the basic sense of 'whip up' meaning to quickly prepare food.

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