hubbub

noun

hub·​bub ˈhə-ˌbəb 

1

: noise, uproar

2

: confusion, turmoil

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
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• 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 hubbub in a Sentence

All the hubbub in the airport made it hard to hear the flight announcements.

the hubbub surrounding the film star

We went to the country to escape the hubbub of the city.

What's all the hubbub about?

Recent Examples on the Web

In the fall of 1958, syndicated Hollywood columnist William H. Mooring needed a vacation from the hubbub of Tinseltown. —Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2024

Image The courthouse where Judge Brinkema works — in a section of Alexandria dominated by stocky office buildings — can feel far from the hubbub of nearby Washington. —David McCabe, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Sources said the switch allowed parties involved in the transaction to renegotiate their part, with the various players negotiating concessions to stay in the transaction, causing a bit of a behind-the-scenes hubbub as the finish line approached. —David Moin, WWD, 26 Dec. 2024

There’s a whole lotta hubbub about Black Friday in the outdoor industry. —Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps of Irish origin; akin to Scottish Gaelic ub ub, interjection of contempt

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hubbub

noun

hub·​bub ˈhəb-ˌəb 

: uproar, turmoil