variants or less commonly hoo-hah
informal
: a state or condition of excitement, agitation, or disturbance : commotion, uproar
… she wore the jacket again … —wore it unapologetically knowing all the hoo-ha it had caused …Vanessa Friedman
"I remember one time there was a big hoo-hah about a rare bird."Lee Child

Examples of hoo-ha in a Sentence

the media hoo-ha that inevitably occurs when a politician makes a gaffe, no matter how inconsequential
Recent Examples on the Web But underneath that hoo-ha hysteria is their real question, the anxious quandary that seems to drive their anger and fear as society changes around them. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hoo-ha.' 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 from Yiddish hu-ha uproar, exclamation of surprise

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hoo-ha was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near hoo-ha

Cite this Entry

“Hoo-ha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoo-ha. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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