brouhaha

noun

brou·​ha·​ha ˈbrü-ˌhä-ˌhä How to pronounce brouhaha (audio)
ˌbrü-ˌhä-ˈhä,
brü-ˈhä-ˌhä
: hubbub, uproar
A brouhaha erupted over her statements.

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

A brouhaha erupted over her statements about the president. There's been a lot of brouhaha about her statements.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The opening 10 seconds of the United States’ 3-1 win over Canada at Montreal’s Bell Centre featured not one ... not two ... but three fights between USA and Canada skaters — and naturally, two Florida Panthers stars were involved in the brouhaha. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2025 The brouhaha continued down the baseline and then into the stands. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 June 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 So with all of the brouhaha around Thinking Machine Labs, who is its fearless leader? John Werner, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for brouhaha

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brouhaha was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Brouhaha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brouhaha. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

brouhaha

noun
brou·​ha·​ha
ˈbrü-ˌhä-ˌhä

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