rumpus

[ ruhm-puhs ]
See synonyms for rumpus on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rum·pus·es.
  1. a noisy or violent disturbance; commotion; uproar: There was a terrible rumpus going on upstairs.

  2. a heated controversy: a rumpus over the school-bond issue.

Origin of rumpus

1
First recorded in 1755–65; origin uncertain

Words Nearby rumpus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rumpus in a sentence

  • We knew that all he wanted was to get out on deck, and then there would be the tallest kind of a rumpus.

    Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
  • I was prepared to carry her off if she refused, but I was ill prepared for the rumpus that this quiet-looking woman kicked up.

    A Little Union Scout | Joel Chandler Harris
  • I suppose now that papa is having a rumpus with Mr. Thatcher I shall never see him any more.

    A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith Nicholson
  • They found out we were seeing each other secretly, and they made a rumpus about it.

    Frank Merriwell's Bravery | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for rumpus

rumpus

/ (ˈrʌmpəs) /


nounplural -puses
  1. a noisy, confused, or disruptive commotion

Origin of rumpus

1
C18: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012