ruckus

noun

ruck·​us
ˈrə-kəs,
 also  ˈrü-,
or
ˈru̇- How to pronounce ruckus (audio)
plural ruckuses
1
: a noisy fight or disturbance : row, commotion
raise/cause/create a ruckus
heard a ruckus down the street
He went outside to see what all the ruckus was about.
The dogs … typically would set off quite a ruckus whenever they heard something in the woods …Larry Livermore
2
: a state or situation in which many people are angry or upset : fuss, uproar
… IHOP recently caused a social media ruckus after announcing it would change its name …Lauren Delgado
… the county's GOP is embroiled in a lively legal ruckus over an attempt to seize control of the party.Charles Burress

Examples of ruckus in a Sentence

the ruckus left one person with a sprained wrist quit creating such a ruckus—I'm trying to sleep!
Recent Examples on the Web Bennet saw a small buck and few does early on but then heard a ruckus out ahead of him in a bean field. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 1 Nov. 2023 As a company that often places among the top three in JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, focusing on reliability among other factors, Toyota will no doubt get through this ruckus and return to its industry-leading position. Peter Lyon, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Thornton later fled with the help of a crowd of supporters, who caused a ruckus outside of the jail. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 9 Feb. 2024 In terms of what started the ruckus, Savannah, 37, went to watch her husband, Lakers star LeBron James, play against the Boston Celtics on Christmas day. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Jan. 2024 Snook herself is ambivalent on the subject — or, perhaps, does not want to spoil the relationship ruckuses that remain in the show's fourth and final season. Clark Collis, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2023 Stick to what’s simple, doable and won’t cause a ruckus within your inner circle. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024 Israeli diplomat Michael Oren had to speak at the University of North Florida via Zoom rather than in person thanks to the Jew-bashing ruckus. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 This was a singularly kind man who valued everyone, no matter the ruckus in their lives. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruckus.' 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

probably blend of ruction and rumpus

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ruckus was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near ruckus

Cite this Entry

“Ruckus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruckus. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ruckus

noun
ruck·​us ˈrək-əs How to pronounce ruckus (audio)
ˈrük-,
ˈru̇k-
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!