furor

noun

fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr 

-ər

1

: an angry or maniacal fit : rage

furor of the god of war

—Henry Fuseli

2

: fury sense 4

3

: a fashionable craze : vogue

her singing … made her the furor of Paris overnight

—Janet Flanner

4

a

: furious or hectic activity

confusion and furor within the Pentagon over research and development spending

—T. M. Bernstein

b

: an outburst of public excitement or indignation : uproar

Amid the furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• 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 furor in a Sentence

The book caused a furor across the country.

Amid a public furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the minutes and hours following Saturday’s furor, the focus was entirely on Hurley — specifically, his decision to leave the court without shaking hands with the Wildcats. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025

McGahern went to England during the furor and spent much of the next decade in London, Paris, and Helsinki. —Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

The furor was partly due to skepticism over the relatively new field of medical bacteriology. —Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025

In 2017, the furor around Trump’s first lady photo largely centered on her decision to wear Dolce & Gabbana — a sartorial choice that shocked fashion-watchers across the US as a missed opportunity to showcase American-made. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin, from furere to rage

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for furor

• furore

Kids Definition

furor

noun

fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr 

-ˌōr

1

: fury sense 1, rage

2

: an outburst of excitement : uproar