brouhaha
Americannoun
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excited public interest, discussion, or the like, as the clamor attending some sensational event; hullabaloo.
The brouhaha followed disclosures of graft at City Hall.
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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.
noun
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)
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.
Since then, however, and even before this latest brouhaha, the shares have begun to struggle.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
This is something far more daffy and useless: The brouhaha over unrequited affections between Seattle Mariners at the World Baseball Classic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
With the Greenland brouhaha sidelined for now, investors can look ahead to a big week of earnings as about a fifth of S&P 500 companies will report, including four of the Magnificent Seven.
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
The bolillo brouhaha quickly became part of the raging debate about gentrification in Mexico City.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
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
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.
