rumpus
Americannoun
-
rumpuses
plural
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Wayne State University's Word Warriors: a list of words to revive in your vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
My Side of the Mountain
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Another rumpus at this World Cup concerns the installation of hydration breaks at the midway point of each half.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The unexpected rumpus took place on Feb. 23 at the Thornton Beach Recreation Area when the young boy was taking a riding lesson on a horse from Ocean View Stables.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
Labour HQ seems neither surprised nor perturbed by the rumpus their proposals this week caused.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2023
At the center of the rumpus is the confrontational enthusiast Nicholas Reeves, 66, who shares a home near Oxford, England, with a nameless house cat.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2022
There was an old typewriter in the rumpus room.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
But then again, the NFL seems to specialize in off-field rumpuses.
From Time ● Jul. 28, 2015
Raising rumpuses is nothing new for Edward Towner Leech.
From Time Magazine Archive
Before he dies, Rivera may well add sculpture to his talents and triumphs, just as he may well get himself into more political rumpuses.
From Time Magazine Archive
As commander-in-chief of the rebels there emerged General "Lucky Juan" Alberto Barros, veteran of several Brazilian rumpuses.
From Time Magazine Archive
Now I understand your amazement and I will presume to enlighten you that all those quarrels, rumpuses, intrigues, envies, and even fights are nothing but nerves, nerves, nerves!
From The Comedienne by Edmund Obecny
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.
