hullabaloo

noun

hul·​la·​ba·​loo ˈhə-lə-bə-ˌlü How to pronounce hullabaloo (audio)
plural hullabaloos
1
informal : a loud, continued noise or mixture of noises : din
Why do roosters crow? If they're like insects and frogs, that hullabaloo is an ad for a mate …Discover
Somebody heard the splash and they raised an awful hullabaloo. 'He's gone! Lower the boats! …'Joseph Conrad
… Hunt and her pack of highly trained dogs set off a hellacious hullabaloo, yelling and barking, discharging firecrackers …Christine Paige
2
informal : a state of commotion, excitement, or violent disturbance : uproar, fuss
Would there be such a hullabaloo about the violence in her books if they had been written by a man?Laura Z. Hobson
Sunday was a big day for the Philadelphia Phillies mascot … . It was his 40th birthday, and there was a big hullabaloo.Liz Roscher
There's been a lot of hullabaloo recently about the effects that grapefruit can have on certain meds.Chanie Kirschner
When I heard the series would finally be available to stream on Hulu, I decided to finally see what all the hullabaloo was about.Josh Sorokach

Example Sentences

The announcement caused quite a hullabaloo. The announcement caused a lot of hullabaloo. There was a hullabaloo over his controversial statements. There was a lot of hullabaloo over his controversial statements.
Recent Examples on the Web Amid the hullabaloo over hot-button Supreme Court cases such as 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis and talk of ritual animal sacrifice, one religious-liberty issue continues to get overlooked: the conscience rights of the incarcerated. Bobby Miller, National Review, 17 Jan. 2023 The recent hullabaloo was caused by the risky behavior of a few institutions, rather than the collapse of a sector of the economy. Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023 Whether James is a good enough player to justify the hullabaloo. Bill Oram, oregonlive, 9 Apr. 2023 But synthetic fabrics have grown to be just as cozy with remarkable technical attributes that are so much more than marketing hullabaloo. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023 Walker didn't understand all the hullabaloo. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2022 Few could have predicted this kind of hullabaloo. Rob Hodgetts, CNN, 6 Nov. 2020 Six games remain and the Bears will have to find deep reserves of concentration and give-a-damn to prevent another lengthy spiral and more hullabaloo. Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 26 Nov. 2021 The whole hullabaloo started after the Daily Mail published photos of the pair at a party. Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 8 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hullabaloo.' 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

perhaps from hallo + Scots balloo, interjection used to hush children

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hullabaloo was in 1762

Dictionary Entries Near hullabaloo

Cite this Entry

“Hullabaloo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hullabaloo. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

hullabaloo

noun
hul·​la·​ba·​loo ˈhəl-ə-bə-ˌlü How to pronounce hullabaloo (audio)
plural hullabaloos
: uproar, din

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