hubbub
Americannoun
-
a loud, confused noise, as of many voices.
There was quite a hubbub in the auditorium after the announcement.
- Antonyms:
- quiet
-
tumult; uproar.
- Synonyms:
- confusion, disorder, disturbance
- Antonyms:
- calm
noun
-
a confused noise of many voices
-
uproar
Synonym Usage
See noise.
Etymology
Origin of hubbub
First recorded in 1545–55; apparently of Irish origin; akin to Scots Gaelic cry ubub! (reduplication of ub! ) expressing aversion or contempt
Explanation
Hubbub is a fun, rhyming word for an uproar, a brouhaha, or another crazy situation that has gone completely higgledy-piggledy. No one would say, "What's the hubbub?" at the library, unless it was the loudest, most bonkers day ever in a place that is usually quiet. A hubbub is chaotic, disorganized, loud, and distracting. Sometimes, hubbub can mean a controversy, as in "What's the hubbub over this new law?" If you like peace and quiet, stay away from hubbubs — a word that sounds as loud and unruly as its meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing hubbub
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
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"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, Chapters 1–5
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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.
A recent survey by environmental charity Hubbub found that more than two-fifths of 16 to 24-year-olds buy clothes online at least once a week, compared to 13% on average for other age groups.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2022
Hubbub over the #LoveDontCostAThing challenge comes less than a week after Lopez performed a patriotic medley for the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2021
Recent research by Hubbub, a UK sustainability charity, says 57% of us value food more than we did pre-coronavirus.
From The Guardian • Jul. 4, 2020
Hubbub continues over Sony’s flip-flop: The studio will offer limited theatrical released of its parody film that showcased North Korea President Kim Jong-un and launched a cyberwar — and a thousand melodramatic commentaries.
From Washington Times • Dec. 23, 2014
And "Cutlets" and "Hubbub" and all the rest May stick to the calling they're fitted for best, But we'll all feel gay when The "Yankee" goes sailing home.
From A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee" by Doubleday, Russell
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.
