fuss
Americannoun
-
an excessive display of anxious attention or activity; needless or useless bustle.
They made a fuss over the new baby.
- Antonyms:
- inactivity
-
an argument or noisy dispute.
They had a fuss about who should wash dishes.
-
a complaint or protest, especially about something relatively unimportant.
verb (used without object)
-
fusses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fussed,
past participle, past
-
fussing
present participle
-
to make a fuss; make much ado about trifles.
You'll never finish the job if you fuss over details.
-
to complain especially about something relatively unimportant.
verb (used with object)
-
fusses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fussed,
past participle, past
-
fussing
present participle
noun
-
nervous activity or agitation, esp when disproportionate or unnecessary
-
complaint or objection
he made a fuss over the bill
-
an exhibition of affection or admiration, esp if excessive
they made a great fuss over the new baby
-
a quarrel; dispute
verb
-
(intr) to worry unnecessarily
-
(intr) to be excessively concerned over trifles
-
to show great or excessive concern, affection, etc (for)
-
to quarrel violently
-
(tr) to bother (a person)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fusssimple
-
fussessimple
-
have fussedperfect
-
has fussedperfect
-
am fussingprogressive
-
are fussingprogressive
-
is fussingprogressive
-
have been fussingperfect progressive
-
has been fussingperfect progressive
Past
-
fussedsimple
-
had fussedperfect
-
was fussingprogressive
-
were fussingprogressive
-
had been fussingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fuss
First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you are making a fuss, settle down! A fuss is a state of excitement, and it's usually about something not worth worrying or "fussing" about. Most fusses are types of commotion. If someone makes a fuss, they're overexcited and in a tizzy over something, like someone who can't stop asking questions. Another fuss is angrier: you might say "What's the fuss?" if you hear two people yelling at each other. A fuss is also any kind of hubbub or whirlwind of activity, like a huge crowd swarming toward a sale. Parents tend to fuss over their children. Someone who fusses is worrying too much.
Vocabulary lists containing fuss
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
Normally, Treasury auctions are routine financial events that play out in the background without much of a fuss.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Slate contributing writer Imogen West-Knights visited the massive new Skims flagship in London to see what the fuss is all about.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
“But I didn’t make a big fuss about it then.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
When Graham’s hometown tried to name a street after him, he waved it off, saying there was no need to make a fuss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
He’d tied a pink ribbon round the handlebars, and he made a big fuss of it being a present for me.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
While Lord Wynstowe fusses around measuring chins and noses, Charlie and Alice are concerned with the grosser features of the human body.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Put her back in her crib, and if she fusses and cries again, go back and hold or rock her until she stops.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2022
A nurse fits a shirt on a newborn who fusses at first and then cries loudly.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2022
She fusses about his health and his attitude, remarking to her son that at least he had given up on his crazy earlier plan:
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2021
She fusses with the key for a minute and then stands aside, leaving it in the lock.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
He's not alone: according to City Hall, Istanbul has more than 160,000 cats living on its streets who are regularly fed and fussed over by the city's 16 million residents.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
A gentle simmer produces something entirely different from a frantic boil; a pan left alone rewards you more than one constantly fussed over.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
He "wasn’t fussed" about potentially losing his hair - though son Callum had some concerns.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2024
By Friday morning, her 3-year-old daughter had developed a fever and her 2-year-old fussed as his sister slept in their mother’s arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024
Outside, the mower fussed at the edges of the lawn.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
The ominous birds, fussing and pooping on his porch, reminded him of Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The hardest part for Treichel, whose primary job is as a finance lawyer, was to not add caveats and footnotes to everything, and to eventually stop fussing with the explanations during the editing process.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
I couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t stop fussing at Jack Williams.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025
At one point, she asked whether the irritability and fussing some babies showed at the time of the shot could be early symptoms of neurological problems stemming from the vaccine that hadn’t been studied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
Because she had imagined that Odenigbo’s mother was already gone, she was dampened to see her on the sofa, dressed, fussing with a bag.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
