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

Protein may be hogging the nutrition limelight at the moment, but amid all the hubbub, don’t forget about one critical carb: fiber. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 18 Mar. 2025

This mental hubbub also yanks you out of the present and prevents you from fully experiencing what’s actually happening to you, Dr. Morray says. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 31 Jan. 2025

Arrange for Lounge Access A premium credit card, such as Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Platinum Card from American Express, or the Capital One Venture X card, will get you into a lounge that’s a respite from the hubbub of the terminal. —Kerry Spencer, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2025

All the hubbub about AI made Stanford economist and friend of Planet Money Erik Brynjolfsson one of the busiest people at the conference this year. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 7 Jan. 2025

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