hoopla

noun

hoop·​la ˈhü-ˌplä  ˈhu̇- 

plural hooplas

1

chiefly US, informal + often disapproving : excited or agitated commotion or activity : bustle

… make sure that children who have birthdays around the holidays don't get their birthday celebration lost in the holiday hoopla.

—Samara Kalk Derby

Seville is a place that offers many artists who call it home a chance to work quietly, away from the hoopla of Madrid.

—Deborah Gimelson

The reality star who each year makes a big hoopla as she turns one year older …

—Rebecca Cukier

also : agitated, excited, or angry discussion : fuss

… despite all the hoopla about susceptibility of automobile companies to … hacking, this is yet another … exploit that (would have) required hands-on intervention to succeed.

—David Booth

2

chiefly US, informal + often disapproving : extravagant promotion or publicity : ballyhoo

Watch out for hoopla surrounding the fourth Batman movie, which hits theaters this summer.

—Zillions

The November arrival of the nouveau on these shores … was accompanied by the normal amount of hoopla and hype intended to whip up consumer interest in the young wine.

—Terry Robards

also : an event or occasion featuring hoopla

Music fans have become incredibly savvy about the big live hooplas and announcements …

—Jim Carroll

"San Diego [Comic Con] is a big hoopla," [Alan] Pamoleras said …

—Jessica Dolcourt

Did you know?

In French, the interjection houp-là is used roughly the same way as English’s upsy-daisy or whoops-a-daisy, as one might say when picking up a toddler who has fallen down on their bottom to assure them that their tumble is not a big deal. When the word was borrowed into English, however, it referred to a kind of excited or agitated commotion, synonymous with other h-words including hoo-ha, hubbub, and hullabaloo. Hoopla later gained a sense referring to hype, especially of the kind marketing execs cook up for the release of a new product. Both senses can carry with them a whiff of disapproval. If you’re calling something hoopla—whether it’s the bustle of activity around a holiday or the promotional buzz around a new movie—chances are you want to convey to others that the cause of the fuss may not be such a big deal.

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of hoopla in a Sentence

Many people have grown tired of all the hoopla surrounding the opening of the new theater.

for all of the hoopla, very little news emerged from the governor's press conference this afternoon

Recent Examples on the Web

The hoopla has mostly since quieted down, but the incident has also sparked ongoing conversations about the main underlying question: What age is too young to travel without adult supervision? —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024

Yet after all of that hoopla, even the film’s arrival in theaters may not satisfactorily answer the basic question: What even is Megalopolis, anyway? —Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Despite all the hoopla surrounding the Honey Deuce, his fare was more often seen paired alongside the Ace Paloma—Dobel’s signature cocktail for the event. —Brad Japhe, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

At the center of the saga is Chicken Man, a desperate dreamer who sees a life-changing opportunity with the hoopla surrounding Ali’s bout with Jerry Quarry. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French houp-là, interjection

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

hoopla

noun

hoop·​la

ˈhü-ˌplä,

ˈhu̇-

informal

1

: bustle

also : fuss

—often used disapprovingly

2

: extravagant claims made for publicity

—often used disapprovingly