brouhaha
noun
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The English language borrowed brouhaha directly from French in the late 19th century, but its origins beyond that are uncertain—not the subject of a noisy brouhaha but perhaps a little modest debate. What’s less arguable is that brouhaha is fun to say, as are many of its synonyms, including hubbub, williwaw, hullabaloo, bobbery, and kerfuffle. Many of these, like brouhaha, tend to suggest a certain judgment that the reason for all the foofaraw is a bit silly, or at least not worth getting all worked up about. A dad joke, for example, might cause a brouhaha, even though it’s really no reason for an uproar to brew. Haha!
Examples of brouhaha in a Sentence
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
The brouhaha over questions regarding what really happened in the Jeffrey Epstein case has a fascinating historical reference.
—Tracy Ullman, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
The company’s board of directors has launched an investigation while the original TikTok clip that caused the brouhaha (posted by user Grace Springer) has been viewed north of 70 million times.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2025
In fact, despite the brouhaha over the issue, there are in fact, few transgender women playing in major sports leagues.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for brouhaha
Cite this Entry
“Brouhaha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brouhaha. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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