ruckus

noun

ruck·​us

ˈrə-kəs,

 also  ˈrü-,

or

ˈru̇- 

plural ruckuses

1

: a noisy fight or disturbance : row, commotion

raise/cause/create a ruckus

heard a ruckus down the street

He went outside to see what all the ruckus was about.

The dogs … typically would set off quite a ruckus whenever they heard something in the woods …

—Larry Livermore

2

: a state or situation in which many people are angry or upset : fuss, uproar

… IHOP recently caused a social media ruckus after announcing it would change its name …

—Lauren Delgado

… the county's GOP is embroiled in a lively legal ruckus over an attempt to seize control of the party.

—Charles Burress

Synonyms

• brawl
• clash
• altercation

Examples of ruckus in a Sentence

the ruckus left one person with a sprained wrist

quit creating such a ruckus—I'm trying to sleep!

Recent Examples on the Web

The Pacers will be in front of their ruckus and devoted crowd, but this game will look a lot different if Haliburton can't give it a go. —Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

Other types of cicadas produce an even bigger ruckus: Songs of the African cicada Brevisana brevis peak at nearly 107 decibels, about as loud as a jet taking off. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 13 May 2025

Thomas told investigators that he was awoken by a ruckus upstairs. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025

Royal Enfield Royal Enfield made a ruckus at the 2023 EICMA trade show with its electric Him-E adventure motorcycle concept. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably blend of ruction and rumpus

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ruckus

• raise a ruckus

Rhymes for ruckus

• ficus
• picus

Kids Definition

ruckus

noun

ruck·​us ˈrək-əs 

ˈrük-,

ˈru̇k-

: row entry 4