fuss
an excessive display of anxious attention or activity; needless or useless bustle: They made a fuss over the new baby.
an argument or noisy dispute: They had a fuss about who should wash dishes.
a complaint or protest, especially about something relatively unimportant.
to make a fuss; make much ado about trifles: You'll never finish the job if you fuss over details.
to complain especially about something relatively unimportant.
to disturb, especially with trifles; annoy; bother.
Origin of fuss
1Other words for fuss
Opposites for fuss
Other words from fuss
- fusser, noun
- un·fussed, adjective
- un·fuss·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fuss in a sentence
It's not a milestone birthday, I just don't want anyone to make a fuss over me.
Carolyn Hax: He worries that every day after Jan. 1 will be 420 | Carolyn Hax | December 10, 2020 | Washington PostThis one-pan feast of turkey with all the fixings puts a holiday dinner on the table without a lot of fuss or a sink full of dishes.
Make it a one-pan Thanksgiving with stuffed turkey breast, sweet potatoes and green beans | Ellie Krieger | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostSoon after she reappeared, a Pathfinders boy in an aviation jacket and steampunk goggles at the neighboring field started making a fuss about the battery in his robot.
This AI whiz could be the next Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, but first she has to navigate being 18 | Taylor Telford | November 5, 2020 | Washington PostOh, Analogue makes one…Analogue’s consoles are made for collectors who would prefer not to have to baby their original hardware, or want to upscale the signal and play wirelessly without too much fuss.
Analogue takes on the TurboGrafx-16 with its Duo retro console | Devin Coldewey | October 16, 2020 | TechCrunchSo he walked to the tree to look for blood and examine the fuss.
It’s His Land. Now a Canadian Company Gets to Take It. | by Lee van der Voo for ProPublica | October 1, 2020 | ProPublica
The hole in his chest through which the drug flowed required some fussing, but there was no discomfort.
We waited and waited, and Boris, growing restless, wandered about, fussing with modelling wax and red clay.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI start by holding my glasses in my hand instead of fussing with the mask.
One First-Timer’s Adventures in Culebra and Puerto Rico | Kara Cutruzzula | March 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThose I travel with tend to relax; while I am fussing around.
I imagined assistants fussing over me as I tried on different ensembles.
Nothing looks worse than to see a lady fussing over her dress in the street.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyDont you know how Cousin Nancy was always fussing because I would haunt the kitchen down there?
Those Dale Girls | Frank Weston CarruthAmong them are still fussing to and fro the insects, thou knowest, the bipeds that have never yet once defiled thee nor me.'
Dream Tales and Prose Poems | Ivan TurgenevShe was fussing with the starter by this time, but she smiled up at him and shook her head.
Quin | Alice Hegan Rice"We do the printing in father's room when he's well enough to be out digging and fussing with flowers," said Emmie.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
British Dictionary definitions for fuss
/ (fʌs) /
nervous activity or agitation, esp when disproportionate or unnecessary
complaint or objection: he made a fuss over the bill
an exhibition of affection or admiration, esp if excessive: they made a great fuss over the new baby
a quarrel; dispute
(intr) to worry unnecessarily
(intr) to be excessively concerned over trifles
(when intr, usually foll by over) to show great or excessive concern, affection, etc (for)
(intr foll by with) Jamaican to quarrel violently
(tr) to bother (a person)
Origin of fuss
1Derived forms of fuss
- fusser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fuss
In addition to the idiom beginning with fuss
- fuss and feathers
also see:
- kick up a fuss
- make a fuss
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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