ballyhoo
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a noisy, confused, or nonsensical situation or uproar
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sensational or blatant advertising or publicity
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have ballyhooedperfect
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has ballyhooedperfect 3rd person singular
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are ballyhooingprogressive
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ballyhooingparticiple
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ballyhoossingular 3rd person
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have been ballyhooingperfect progressive
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has been ballyhooingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am ballyhooingprogressive 1st person singular
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is ballyhooingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had ballyhooedperfect
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had been ballyhooingperfect progressive
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was ballyhooingprogressive singular
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were ballyhooingprogressive plural
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ballyhooedsimple
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ballyhooedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of ballyhoo
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; of uncertain origin
Explanation
The word ballyhoo is both a noun and a verb that refers to making a big, noisy fuss about something. Promoters might ballyhoo a new store opening by plastering the airwaves with ads and throwing a big parade on opening day. Ballyhoo is all about being loud and flashy, creating an attention-grabbing spectacle. The term originated in early 20th-century slang to describe the loud carnival barkers yelling out exaggerated pronouncements when trying to drum up a crowd for a sideshow or attraction. Over time, it came to mean any hype or commotion to promote something. Using the word as a noun, you could say, "Despite all the ballyhoo, the movie was a box office flop." As a verb, you might say, "The bookstore ballyhooed the arrival of the last book in the popular series."
Vocabulary lists containing ballyhoo
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.
But could all this ballyhoo sap interest in his work?
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025
While Texas and Florida officials ballyhoo their border tightening efforts, no major immigration legislation has emerged this year in Arizona, where some of the nation’s toughest laws targeting immigrants have been devised.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023
“That was one of the places that my father used to stand outside in his outfit to ballyhoo all these movies,” she recalled.
From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2022
That might be one reason why the fanfare surrounding Firth’s larger-than-life Hyde Park statue paled in comparison to the ballyhoo surrounding Goldblum’s.
From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2021
It was already a little old to Sally—the spieler’s ballyhoo.
From Girl Alone by Austin, Anne
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.
