brouhaha
Americannoun
-
excited public interest, discussion, or the like, as the clamor attending some sensational event; hullabaloo.
The brouhaha followed disclosures of graft at City Hall.
-
an episode involving excitement, confusion, turmoil, etc., especially a broil over a minor or ridiculous cause.
A brouhaha by the baseball players resulted in three black eyes.
noun
Etymology
Origin of brouhaha
First recorded in 1885–90; from French, originally, brou, ha, ha! exclamation used by characters representing the devil in16th-century drama; perhaps from Hebrew, distortion of the recited phrase bārūkh habbā (beshēm ădōnai) “blessed is he who comes (in the name of the Lord)” (Psalms 118:26)
Explanation
Brouhaha is something that people think is really important that’s actually not important at all, like the brouhaha over some new celebrity gossip. Brouhaha seems like a big deal, but it’s a bunch of baloney. Brouhaha has two meanings, and tons of funny-sounding synonyms. The title of the Shakespeare play gives one meaning: "Much Ado about Nothing." The brouhaha over the latest Hollywood comedy might make you never want to see it. It's just fuss and hullabaloo about a movie that can’t possibly be good anyway. Brouhaha also means a loud noise coming from all over the place, like the brouhaha after a sporting event: hubbub and katzenjammer echoing loudly through the streets.
Vocabulary lists containing brouhaha
Mayhem! Chaos! Pandemonium!
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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Ungifted
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Soon, Jackson stopped receiving royalty payments from Brouhaha; he’s never gotten them since.
From New York Times • May 25, 2022
Himan Brown might have titled it: “The Brouhaha Over the $100 Million Estate.”
From Washington Times • Jan. 24, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
