kerfuffle

noun

ker·​fuf·​fle kər-ˈfə-fəl 

plural kerfuffles

informal

: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict

In all the kerfuffle, nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly.

—J. K. Rowling

It's not the only school with dress code issues; almost every week there's a local story about some kerfuffle over what kids wear to school.

—Belinda Luscombe

Did you know?

The Evolution of Kerfuffle

Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers. The addition of car-, possibly from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “wrong” or “awkward,” didn’t change its meaning much. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, which in the 20th century was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle, referring to a more figurative feather-ruffling. There is some kerfuffle among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by onomatopoeic words like kerplunk that imitate the sound of a falling object hitting a surface.

Synonyms

• commotion
• stir
• disturbance
• fuss
• turmoil
• hurry

Examples of kerfuffle in a Sentence

predictably, the royal scandal caused quite a kerfuffle on Fleet Street

Recent Examples on the Web

This kerfuffle highlights the potential blame game between corporations and the administration, should prices rise. Catch up quick: Punchbowl reported Tuesday that Amazon would list how much tariffs were adding to items' prices. —Eleanor Hawkins, Axios, 1 May 2025

The subject first came up as LuPone was recalling a kerfuffle with Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen, which was located next door to her own Broadway play The Roommate. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 May 2025

There are few qualms over photorealistic images of a cup on a table, but great kerfuffles follow a fake image of the Pope or of Rafah. —Emmanuel Iduma, ARTnews.com, 21 Mar. 2025

This will be the first meeting since President Donald Trump's historic visit to the Fed's construction site and the kerfuffle that has erupted over cost overruns there. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of carfuffle, from Scots car- (probably from Scottish Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward) + fuffle to become disheveled

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kerfuffle

• duffel
• duffle
• muffle
• ruffle
• scuffle
• shuffle
• truffle
• reshuffle