hoopla

noun hoop·la \ ˈhü-ˌplä , ˈhu̇- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of hoopla

: to-do; also : ballyhoo

See hoopla defined for English-language learners

hoopla was our Word of the Day on 01/18/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of hoopla in a Sentence

Many people have grown tired of all the hoopla surrounding the opening of the new theater.
for all of the hoopla, very little news emerged from the governor's press conference

Recent Examples of hoopla from the Web

Thanks to all the Opening Day hoopla, first pitch was nine minutes late, at 1:44 p.m..

— ann killion, San Francisco Chronicle, "Giants players and fans had that Opening Day glow. Then the first pitch was thrown.," 3 Apr. 2018
What people forget with all the hoopla about the Yankees is this team won 93 games with no power.

— si.com staff, SI.com, "Enemy Lines: Opposing Scouts Size Up the American League," 28 Mar. 2018
For in the end, the very dullness of this 60 Minutes piece, its contrast with all the hoopla leading up to it, was a refusal to feed the Trump media frenzy.

— rhonda garelick, The Cut, "Stormy Daniels’s Boring Interview Was Actually Brilliant," 26 Mar. 2018
Why the hoopla over the final resting place of the late president, who has resided on the capitol grounds for 125 years?

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Tennessee Votes to Keep Polk’s Grave Where It Is. For Now," 20 Mar. 2018
But how much does all that St. Patrick’s Day hoopla — with its legion of drunken Plastic Paddies claiming Irish descent — tell us about who or what the Irish and Ireland really are?

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Windfall Theatre's 'Stones in His Pockets' has too many holes," 10 Feb. 2018
To follow the hoopla that came with the sugary, colorful beverage last April, Starbucks is reportedly releasing another fruity creation this week.

— jessica fecteau, PEOPLE.com, "Starbucks' Rumored New Drink Will Be a Spin on the Unicorn Frappuccino—But It Won't Be Around for Long," 20 Mar. 2018
The swagger is definitely there — look no further than the hoopla surrounding the turnover chain and the late, clutch wins Miami pulled out early in the season.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "With spring football to begin, this team should set the standard in Florida | Miami Herald," 19 Mar. 2018
Beyond giving Davies the honor of pitching the first home game, amid the hoopla surrounding that event, Counsell had a second motive.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers manager Craig Counsell tabs Zach Davies to start home opener against St. Louis," 17 Mar. 2018

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

Did You Know?

In French, the interjection houp-là is used roughly the same way as English's upsy-daisy or whoops-a-daisy, as one might say when picking up a child. (This usage can be found in English, too, in such works as Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons and James Joyce’s Ulysses.) In the early 20th century, the word, playing on the syllable hoop, gave its name to a ring-toss game played at carnivals. But before that, hoopla was used in American English to refer to a kind of bustling commotion, and later, as a term for sensationalist hype.