fuss

American  

[fuhs] / fʌs /

noun

1. an excessive display of anxious attention or activity; needless or useless bustle.

   They made a fuss over the new baby.

   Synonyms:

   commotion, stir, to-do, pother

   Antonyms:

   inactivity

2. an argument or noisy dispute.

   They had a fuss about who should wash dishes.

3. a complaint or protest, especially about something relatively unimportant.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a fuss; make much ado about trifles.

   You'll never finish the job if you fuss over details.

2. to complain especially about something relatively unimportant.

verb (used with object)

1. to disturb, especially with trifles; annoy; bother.

   Synonyms:

   pester

fuss British  

/ fʌs /

noun

1. nervous activity or agitation, esp when disproportionate or unnecessary

2. complaint or objection

   he made a fuss over the bill

3. an exhibition of affection or admiration, esp if excessive

   they made a great fuss over the new baby

4. a quarrel; dispute

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verb

1. (intr) to worry unnecessarily

2. (intr) to be excessively concerned over trifles

3. to show great or excessive concern, affection, etc (for)

4. to quarrel violently

5. (tr) to bother (a person)

fuss Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fuss

• kick up a fuss
• make a fuss

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Other Word Forms

• fusser
  noun
• unfussed
  adjective
• unfussing
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fuss

First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain

Explanation

If you are making a fuss, settle down! A fuss is a state of excitement, and it's usually about something not worth worrying or "fussing" about. Most fusses are types of commotion. If someone makes a fuss, they're overexcited and in a tizzy over something, like someone who can't stop asking questions. Another fuss is angrier: you might say "What's the fuss?" if you hear two people yelling at each other. A fuss is also any kind of hubbub or whirlwind of activity, like a huge crowd swarming toward a sale. Parents tend to fuss over their children. Someone who fusses is worrying too much.

Example Sentences

Fuss thinks current data-center deals are too speculative.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

They formed Fuss & Feathers, a multi-course tasting menu, to explore those questions.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2023

Fuss over the details and even the mundane becomes, as the Mom in “Winter Letter” keeps insisting, interesting.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2023

Although editor Diana Fuss organizes the book around themes as divergent as “Fire and Ice” and “Women and Panthers,” every story asks us to reexamine “what wilderness may mean and why it compels us.”

From Scientific American • Jan. 28, 2023

Magruder chanted your praises day and night—our good old Fuss and Feathers, too!

From The Long Roll by Johnston, Mary

Related Words

• commotion
• confusion
• controversy
• excitement
• flap
• furor
• hassle
• ruckus
• stink