Did you know?
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
Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Getting death threats was not character-building, not some little online brouhaha, but psychologically disturbing in a way that spilled over into her offline life.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Troy threatened in the top of the ninth, scoring its only run on a Darnell single to right field, but the game ended moments later on the double play and ensuing brouhaha at second base.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Following the brouhaha around whether art should be divorced from politics at the Berlinale, the organizers of the 8th Joburg Film Festival at Tuesday night’s opener were adamant that all voices and viewpoints are welcome, noting that African filmmaking is inherently political.
—Thinus Ferreira, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brouhaha
Cite this Entry
“Brouhaha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brouhaha. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brouhaha
noun
