noun
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violent disturbance; upheaval
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political insurrection; disorder
-
a confused noise; din
Related Words
See ado.
Other Word Forms
- commotional adjective
- commotive adjective
Etymology
Origin of commotion
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin commōtiōn-, stem of commōtiō, from commōt(us) “disturbed” (past participle of commovēre “to displace, disturb,” literally, “to move together”; commove ) + -iō -ion
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.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd: a police car, blue lights flashing, was heading towards the US embassy gates, leading a small convoy of other vehicles.
From BBC
"People were gathering around me, there was a real commotion," she said.
From BBC
Mr Griffiths described how he had been in a cafe with his children and heard a "commotion outside" with "horns blowing, people shouting and screaming".
From BBC
I hear waves of commotion as people start to take their seats in the auditorium.
From Literature
“Why, just the other day, our trip to Buckingham Palace was cut short when the children mistook one of the palace guards for a bear. It caused quite a commotion.”
From Literature
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.
