as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
lost sight of his children in all the hurly-burly of the fair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hurly-burly
Rosenblatt now lives in a gray, semidetached Victorian house on a somnolent road just off the hurly-burly of a North London high street.
—
John Lahr, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
But mostly for my parents, who had worked so hard for so many years to create a refuge from the hurly-burly of the outside world.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025
Mustard admires the fact that, rather than engage in the hurly-burly of social media, Lamar will disappear from public view for long stretches of time.
—Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2024
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
Compounding all of this household hurly-burly is the fact that Suada has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
The image’s low contrast and lack of sharpness suggest that it was snapped from the hurly-burly of the piazza.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023
In the hurly-burly of a modern economy, people are constantly being hurt by economic changes beyond their control.
—Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2018
John Lahr, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
But mostly for my parents, who had worked so hard for so many years to create a refuge from the hurly-burly of the outside world.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025
Mustard admires the fact that, rather than engage in the hurly-burly of social media, Lamar will disappear from public view for long stretches of time.
—Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2024
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
Compounding all of this household hurly-burly is the fact that Suada has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024
The image’s low contrast and lack of sharpness suggest that it was snapped from the hurly-burly of the piazza.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023
In the hurly-burly of a modern economy, people are constantly being hurt by economic changes beyond their control.
—Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurly-burly
Noun
-
Despite the initial commotion, Julie’s case went cold.—
Annalise Peterson,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
-
During the commotion, Gamel Kheir, the mosque’s secretary, pleaded for calm.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Garcia said detectives have learned that Serrano was not connected to the initial domestic disturbance call that brought officers to the neighborhood.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Several fungal species are most often carried by dust and other soil disturbances, posing health risks when inhaled.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just don't be in a hurry to get there.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Don’t be in a hurry, as this grace period will keep your home from being filled with toxic fumes from the new installation.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Chinese companies aren’t retreating from the Arabian Gulf despite turmoil in the region, according to one of the world’s top management consultants.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest actress Hüller, currently on screens opposite Ryan Gosling in box office hit Project Hail Mary, plays a mysterious soldier who appears in a secluded Protestant village amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Add sugar and stir until sugar has completely dissolved.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Punch took the world by storm after images of him dragging the orange plushy behind him circulated on social media, causing such a stir that the zoo has since made special rules to accommodate the influx of visitors.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One is beautiful and famous the world over; the other is even more beautiful yet content not to have to put up with all the fuss and attention.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But the first phase of curbside construction isn’t expected to cause much fuss for drivers.—
Megan Rodriguez,
San Antonio Express-News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tens of thousands of people are flocking to Bayfront Park for the Ultra Music Festival, an annual electronic music event that has once again brought both excitement and concerns over noise and safety to downtown Miami.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Prior work has explored ultrasound sensing mainly on ground robots, but applying it to aerial robots has been difficult due to propeller noise and weak signals.—
Nitin Sanket,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
