kerfuffle

noun

ker·​fuf·​fle kər-ˈfə-fəl 

plural kerfuffles

informal

: 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

Did you know?

The Evolution of Kerfuffle

Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers. The addition of car-, possibly from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “wrong” or “awkward,” didn’t change its meaning much. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, which in the 20th century was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle, referring to a more figurative feather-ruffling. There is some kerfuffle among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by onomatopoeic words like kerplunk that imitate the sound of a falling object hitting a surface.

Synonyms of kerfuffle

• commotion
• stir
• disturbance
• fuss
• turmoil
• hurry

Examples of kerfuffle in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Here is the kerfuffle between Kelce, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, and McMillian, who had a huge game Sunday with an interception, two sacks, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Nov. 2025

There had been a little kerfuffle where people thought John O’Hurley should have won [season one] instead of Kelly Monaco. —Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025

There was a kerfuffle because Cheney had used a series of five deferments to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. —Susan Page, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

The Disney exec in the running to succeed Bob Iger was at the center of the kerfuffle. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

respelling of Scots cerfuffle, carfuffle, derivative of cerfuffle, verb, "to disorder, throw into confusion," from cer-, car- (intensive prefix, probably borrowed from Scottish Gaelic car "twist, turn") + fuffle "to dishevel, ruffle," of imitative origin

Note: Kerfuffle was originally a Scots word that has come to be used more generally in British and American English. The initial element cer- or car- may be from Scottish Gaelic car "twist, turn"; it adds little to the meaning of the second element fuffle. The spelling with k- suggests onomatopoeic words such as kerplunk and kerblooey.

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kerfuffle

• duffel
• duffle
• muffle
• ruffle
• scuffle
• shuffle
• truffle
• reshuffle

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