To rise from inaction, from the peaceful, quiet, or ordinary course of life; esp. to rise in hostility or rebellion (against). Now poetic: see rise…

intransitive. To rise suddenly to one's feet; to spring to an upright position. Also: to get up after having been asleep or otherwise inactive…

figurative. To be active or occupied about something; to move or bestir oneself in a matter, to begin to act.

? To bestir oneself. Obsolete.

figurative. To rise from a state resembling sleep, such as death, indifference, inaction; to become active or vigilant; to bestir oneself. (Used…

to put out one's fins: figurative ? to bestir oneself eagerly.

transferred and figurative, esp. of inanimate things. Of persons (usually with up): To become animated, alert, or lively, to throw off lethargy.

to shake one's ears: lit. of an animal, hence figurative of a person likened to an animal, (a) to wake up, bestir oneself; (b) to show…

Also with up. intransitive with reflexive meaning.

To stir up, ‘to put into vigorous action’ (Johnson). intransitive.

transferred and figurative. = awake, v. 2 3.

intransitive (for reflexive). To wake up, bestir oneself.

Of a person: To become lively, animated, or stirring; usually with up. Also, to become ‘alive’ to (a situation, etc.). Cf. wake, v. 7c.

In figurative or allusive uses. to wake snakes, (a) (see quot. 1872); (b) to rouse oneself, to look lively; (c) see wake, v. 8c; to have snakes in…

intransitive. Chiefly U.S. To rouse or stir oneself; to get up, rise. Chiefly with out. Now rare.

U.S. intransitive. to flax round: to ‘knock about,’ bestir oneself.

To become active; to begin to act. Frequently in imperative phrases let's (also now,etc.) get busy.

slang. to get one's arse (also ass, butt,etc.) in (also into) gear and variants: to start to do something with energy, urgency, or purposefulness…