rumpus
Americannoun
-
a noisy or violent disturbance; commotion; uproar.
There was a terrible rumpus going on upstairs.
-
a heated controversy.
a rumpus over the school-bond issue.
noun
Etymology
Origin of rumpus
First recorded in 1755–65; origin uncertain
Explanation
A rumpus is an uproar or a commotion. Setting a litter of excited puppies loose in a kindergarten classroom would be sure to cause a rumpus. While a rumpus can be loud and boisterous, like the rumpus underneath a piñata in the midst of a huge birthday party, others take the form of heated arguments. This kind of rumpus might occur during a political scandal, for example. Experts guess that the informal rumpus might come from the now-obsolete word robustious, which means "boisterous or noisy." In the mid-twentieth century, children's playrooms began to be called "rumpus rooms."
Vocabulary lists containing rumpus
Bridge to Terabithia
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Wayne State University's Word Warriors: a list of words to revive in your vocabulary
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My Side of the Mountain
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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.
The court heard that she told police: "Kate told me he tried to get up the night before, and she tried to stop him. Ian had said 'leave me alone or I'll cause a rumpus'."
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2024
As the characters in a Coen Brothers movie might say: What’s the rumpus?
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2023
On Thursday, on the opening day of the SheBelieves Cup, U.S. domination in the neighborly rumpus was put to the test before the Americans prevailed, 1-0, on substitute Rose Lavelle’s goal in the 79th minute.
From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2021
During those decades, the weeping fig, often called a ficus plant, experienced an initial wave of popularity that landed it in rumpus rooms and dentist offices around the country.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2019
Billy was working on this letter in the basement rumpus room of his empty house.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
