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Synonyms

kick up a fuss

Idioms  

  1. Also,. Create a disturbance; start a fight. For example, The soup was cold, and Aunt Mary began to kick up a fuss, calling for the manager, or There's no need to kick up a row; the boys will leave quietly, or If they fire him, Carl is ready to kick up a storm. These expressions all employ kick up in the sense of “raise dust or dirt,” a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

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.

"I am not the type of person to kick up a fuss," says Pippa, a retired cafe owner.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2024

They’re not going to kick up a fuss, or reject the things I cook.

From Slate • May 6, 2020

Anyone expecting Leonard to kick up a fuss and spark a war in the Raptors’ locker-room has been left waiting.

From The Guardian • Jan. 11, 2019

The argument ran that if beneficiaries knew what they were entitled to, they would kick up a fuss when money went missing or services were not provided.

From Economist • Oct. 17, 2012

"Will you promise to be quiet, and not kick up a fuss if I get you something to eat?" asked the man.

From Lost on the Moon Or, in Quest of the Field of Diamonds by Rockwood, Roy

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.