1
: heightened fuss or concern : to-do
much ado about the need for reform
2
: time-wasting bother over trivial details
wrote the paper without further ado
3
: trouble, difficulty
The journey itself is not described; our heroes disembark without ado at Philadelphia.Anthony Lane

Examples of ado in a Sentence

a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado
Recent Examples on the Web For instance, last spring the Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, opened its doors to much happy ado. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2024 So without any further ado, here is the conversation with Mark Newman of Chemours. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2023 There’s much ado about ‘nepo babies’ at the moment, and Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham can’t seem to escape it. Lela London, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 What to know about the report on Boris Johnson’s most damaging scandal yet Johnson has his defenders — who say this is much ado about nothing and support his eventual comeback — but many members of his own party now think his time in electoral politics is over. William Booth, Washington Post, 15 June 2023 One may be tempted to dismiss the surge of private space activity as much ado about billionaires’ bragging rights. Ray Jayawardhana, WSJ, 14 July 2022 The sheriff had first dismissed Tchekmedyian’s story as much ado about nothing, noting that the deputy in question was relieved of duty after a criminal investigation. Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2022 Much ado has been made of all the traffic going up the Cottonwood Canyons last winter. Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Oct. 2021 Blind anti-China policy reflexes can unwittingly result in much ado about (almost) nothing. WSJ, 7 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ado.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, reduced from the infinitive phrase at do, from at "to, at entry 1" + do, don "to do entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ado was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ado

Cite this Entry

“Ado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ado. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ado

noun
: fuss entry 1 sense 1, trouble
much ado about nothing

More from Merriam-Webster on ado

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