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Synonyms

hurly-burly

American  
[hur-lee-bur-lee, -bur-] / ˈhɜr liˈbɜr li, -ˌbɜr- /

noun

plural

hurly-burlies

  1. noisy disorder and confusion; commotion; uproar; tumult.

adjective

  1. full of commotion; tumultuous.

hurly-burly British  
/ ˈhɜːlɪˈbɜːlɪ /

noun

  1. confusion or commotion

"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

adjective

  1. turbulent

"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

Etymology

Origin of hurly-burly

1520–30; alteration of hurling ( and ) burling, rhyming phrase based on hurling in its (now obsolete) sense of tumult, uproar

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.

Hurly, burly, trumpet trase, The cow was in the market place, Some goes far, and some goes near, But where shall this poor henchman steer?

From The Nursery Rhymes of England by Various

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.