commotion

noun

com·​mo·​tion kə-ˈmō-shən 

1

: a condition of civil unrest or insurrection

The commotion was finally brought to an end and peace was restored.

2

: steady or recurrent motion

the commotion of the surf

3

: mental excitement or confusion

… startled … into no ordinary state of commotion.

—Arnold Bennett

4

a

: an agitated disturbance : to-do

the commotion caused by the president's visit

b

: noisy confusion : agitation

The commotion backstage had brought the play to a stop.

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• 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 commotion in a Sentence

There was a sudden commotion when the actress entered the restaurant.

the commotion created when the nation's top rock band arrived in town

Recent Examples on the Web

Pilots heard the commotion and turned the flight around back to Savannah, police said. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025

Naturally, this means that even something as small as a new shade of Pocket Blush is bound to cause tons of commotion—and spoiler alert, that’s exactly what happened after Hailey’s recent date night routine. —Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 12 Mar. 2025

Then, there’s the afters, where actors and non-actors alike prove why their red carpet glam deserves just as much commotion. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 4 Mar. 2025

At an event filled with people accustomed to seeing the most famous of the famous, the arrival of Jagger still managed to cause a commotion. —Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French commocion, from Latin commotion-, commotio, from commovēre — see commove

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for commotion

• demotion
• devotion
• emotion
• laotian
• promotion
• locomotion
• lotion
• notion
• ocean
• potion

Kids Definition

commotion

noun

com·​mo·​tion kə-ˈmō-shən 

1

: irregular or violent motion

2

: noisy excitement and confusion : tumult