ballyhoo
noun
bal·ly·hoo
ˈba-lē-ˌhü 
plural ballyhoos
1
: a noisy attention-getting demonstration or talk
2
: flamboyant, exaggerated, or sensational promotion or publicity
3
: excited commotion
ballyhoo
transitive verb
Synonyms
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Examples of ballyhoo in a Sentence
it turned out that the ballyhoo was the result of a movie being filmed on the street
the usual ballyhoo intended to fill the seats at megaplexes around the country
Recent Examples on the Web
At this point, The Rock already had one foot out the door toward Hollywood, and the win would matter less in his career than the overall ballyhoo of the match.
—
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 18 July 2024
For all the ballyhoo about the total solar eclipse this past April, the event didn’t stir up much in the way of conspiracy thinking.
—Eric Olson, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
Curiously, there seemed to be no VIP or movie star ballyhoo; instead, as The Times wrote, the inaugural passengers on the north-to-south trip were 150 L.A.-area schoolkids.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
This is one bit of ballyhoo that came to pass; the Pittsburgh Pirates held spring training in Paso Robles, and then San Bernardino; the Chicago White Sox in Pasadena; and the Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for ballyhoo 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 18 July 2024
For all the ballyhoo about the total solar eclipse this past April, the event didn’t stir up much in the way of conspiracy thinking.
—Eric Olson, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
Curiously, there seemed to be no VIP or movie star ballyhoo; instead, as The Times wrote, the inaugural passengers on the north-to-south trip were 150 L.A.-area schoolkids.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
This is one bit of ballyhoo that came to pass; the Pittsburgh Pirates held spring training in Paso Robles, and then San Bernardino; the Chicago White Sox in Pasadena; and the Chicago Cubs on Catalina Island.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for ballyhoo
Articles Related to ballyhoo
Dictionary Entries Near ballyhoo
Cite this Entry
“Ballyhoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballyhoo. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ballyhoo
noun
bal·ly·hoo
ˈbal-ē-ˌhü
: extravagant statements and claims made for publicity
ballyhoo
verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share