bedlam

noun

bed·lam | \ ˈbed-ləm

Definition of bedlam

1 obsolete : madman, lunatic

2 or Bedlam : an asylum for the mentally ill

3 : a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion There was bedlam in the streets after the verdict was announced.

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Examples of bedlam in a Sentence

The park had never had so many visitors at one time. It was total bedlam. French physician Philippe Pinel was instrumental in the transformation of bedlams from filthy hellholes to well-ordered, humane institutions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Finally authorities harnessed the bedlam so the final five seconds could be played. — USA TODAY, "AP Was There: Harris' miracle TD gave Steelers playoff win," 14 Jan. 2018 Halili’s bodyguards opened fire toward a grassy hill where the gunshot was apparently fired, adding to the bedlam, Alcazar said by phone. — Washington Post, "Philippine city mayor gunned down during flag-raising event," 2 July 2018 The Cup rolled down the avenue in a bubble of sustained bedlam. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, "Washington celebrates the Capitals first Stanley Cup with a victory parade and rally," 12 June 2018 One of my readers did a little detective work, and deduced exactly where the bedlam bungalow is, possibly due to its proximity to the roof cow. — Kevin Fisher-paulson, SFChronicle.com, "Cops and copy editors keeping things orderly," 25 June 2018 Try a different warehouse The rest of the film is predictable bedlam, with every scene feeling like a rehash of prior films' special effects—only with more familiar stuff on screen at once. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom review: This nonsense has gone full Sharknado," 22 June 2018 Few predicted last year’s bedlam, even after the practice sessions. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar Texas preview: Why more mayhem could be on tap, and Will Power could win," 7 June 2018 When three or more salmon are buttoned at once, the scene can turn into absolute bedlam. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Salmon opener brings mysteries, chance of mayhem," 10 June 2018 Mario Knapp entered the school, he was surrounded by bedlam and the noise of gunfire. — Charles Rabin, miamiherald, "Even with years of training, stopping live shooter is incredibly hard, experts say | Miami Herald," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bedlam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.