as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
lost sight of his children in all the hurly-burly of the fair
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Recent Examples of hurly-burly
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
He is considered a must-follow in the hurly-burly community known as Crypto Twitter for his informed takes on legal and regulatory news.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Oct. 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
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
He is considered a must-follow in the hurly-burly community known as Crypto Twitter for his informed takes on legal and regulatory news.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Oct. 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
-
Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Glenn wasn’t met with cheers or the sounds of flashing cameras — there was a distinct lack of commotion.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Cornell would arrive at the scene of these disturbances in a suit and tie, carrying a bag containing notepads, tape recorders, cameras and, on occasion, other, homemade instruments.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The works, which were still under video surveillance, sat unopened all weekend, with no unusual disturbances recorded.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
To Cuomo, Mamdani is a young man in a hurry whose lack of experience should disqualify him from leading America's largest city.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Both teams can put up points in a hurry.—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
First Brands Group Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, capping weeks of turmoil sparked by creditor concern over the auto-suppliers use of opaque off-balance sheet financing.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Less than two years later, the Titans are in a state of turmoil.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Skims is no stranger to bold and thought-provoking products, having previously caused a stir with its controversial line of face wraps.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The sighting has caused a stir in the country and the broader region, as experts believe the whale could be the elusive Migaloo, an extremely rare, decades-old all-white humpback.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Each one brings serious value without any fuss.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Fazit Looking to level up your makeup without the fuss?—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For a quieter experience, try visiting outside of lunch hours, or come during the shoulder season or winter, when there are fewer out-of-towners and the drive-in is just as delicious without the hustle and bustle.—
Abby Price,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
-
For less hustle and bustle, busiest avoid traveling Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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