brouhaha

American  

[broo-hah-hah, broo-hah-hah, broo-hah-hah] / ˈbru hɑˌhɑ, ˌbru hɑˈhɑ, bruˈhɑ hɑ /

noun

• brouhahas
  plural

1. excited public interest, discussion, or the like, as the clamor attending some sensational event; hullabaloo.

   The brouhaha followed disclosures of graft at City Hall.

2. 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.

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brouhaha British  

/ ˈbruːhɑːhɑː /

noun

1. a loud confused noise; commotion; uproar

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brouhahas
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brouhaha brouhahas

Sports columnist Jason Gay shares his take on the brouhaha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Imagine the brouhaha if the appointment had been unannounced, if he had had the job taken from him before he even started.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

Since then, however, and even before this latest brouhaha, the shares have begun to struggle.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026

I imagine there will be a ballet/opera joke or two, though that brouhaha occurred after voting closed so if Chalamet does not win, no hate should be directed at the Royal Opera company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026

There was a general brouhaha as a couple dozen cars tried to back up or U-turn their way in the proper direction.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

After the cafeteria exiles and karaoke brouhahas, the 30th Street Center teamed up with a local nonprofit, the Institute on Aging, to develop an anti-bullying program.

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2018

Thornton, who didn’t speak after the game, has been in beard brouhahas before.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2018

By the 1910s, partisan brouhahas had evaporated almost entirely from sporting events.

From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2018

The Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly war-story-inflation brouhahas took me by surprise — mostly because, in my experience, journalists seldom discuss their close calls, let alone exaggerate them.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 5, 2015

In one of the first of several brouhahas that erupt, Claude is coaxed into a retirement home.

From New York Times ● Oct. 19, 2012

Related Words

• fracas
• melee