kerfuffle

noun, informal ker·fuf·fle \ kər-ˈfə-fəl \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of kerfuffle

plural kerfuffles

: a disturbance or commotion typically caused by a dispute or conflict

In all the kerfuffle, nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly.
— J. K. Rowling

It's not the only school with dress code issues; almost every week there's a local story about some kerfuffle over what kids wear to school.
—Belinda Luscombe

kerfuffle was our Word of the Day on 08/01/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of kerfuffle in a Sentence

predictably, the royal scandal caused quite a kerfuffle on Fleet Street

Recent Examples of kerfuffle from the Web

At the very least, the kerfuffle is a reminder that until a few months ago, Mr Kim was seen as untrustworthy and belligerent.

— The Economist, "North Korea reminds the world why past peace talks have failed," 16 May 2018
His opening prayer did not appear to contain any blatant or subtle messages about the kerfuffle.

— ashley killough, CNN, "House Chaplain gives opening prayer after rescinding his resignation," 7 May 2018
More recently, however, the technology world bore witness to one of the more awkward kerfuffles in recent history.

— nick bilton, The Hive, "“Burn the Boats”: What Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook Are Really Beefing About," 2 Apr. 2018
If anything, the kerfuffle might actually help remind Montanans of Tester’s consistent advocacy on behalf of veterans — particularly independents and Republicans who never boarded the Trump train.

— david c.w. parker, Washington Post, "Trump’s threats are unlikely to hurt Sen. Jon Tester. In fact, they may help him.," 2 May 2018
An ongoing regulatory kerfuffle about whether distilleries can serve cocktails ran into a new wrinkle this week.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "Mix-up invalidates mixed drink ruling for distilleries," 7 Apr. 2018
The kerfuffle suggested that Haley, who is the public face of U.S. diplomacy since a new secretary of State has not been confirmed, had been authorized to announce on Sunday that new sanctions aimed at Russia were coming Monday.

— laura king, latimes.com, "Nikki Haley denies she was 'confused' about sanctions on Russia," 18 Apr. 2018
The kerfuffle comes just as the airline’s sale to Apollo Global Management, one of the nation’s most prominent private equity firms, was finalized.

— pat pheifer, chicagotribune.com, "Minnesotans stranded in Mexico after airline cancels last flights of the season due to snow," 16 Apr. 2018
If anything, the kerfuffle just proves how young the field is.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "A Flawed Study Shows How Little We Understand Crispr's Effects," 2 Apr. 2018

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

The Evolution of kerfuffle

Fuffle was first used in Scottish English, as early as the 16th century, as a verb meaning "to dishevel." The addition of the prefix car- (possibly derived from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning "wrong" or "awkward") didn't change the meaning of the word considerably. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, and in the 20th century it was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle. There is some dispute among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by imitative words like kerplunk, where the syllable ker- is simply added for emphasis.