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
Related Words
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.
According to a 2019 study by a Hubbub, UK-based retailers are set to generate 2,000 tonnes of plastic on throwaway costumes in a single year.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2021
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 is sure to follow MarjorieDannenfelser’s appearance Thursday at the National Press Club.
From Washington Times • Jan. 14, 2015
Hubbub followed; high upbraiding, and sobs rather loud than deep or real.
From Shirley by Brontë, Charlotte
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.
