madhouse
noun
mad·house
ˈmad-ˌhau̇s 
1
informal + often offensive
: an institution providing care to mentally ill individuals
2
informal
: a place of uproar or confusion
The day of the game against the U.S.S.R., Blythe Arena was a madhouse. Thousands milled about outside, hoping to find a way in.—
Walter Bingham
Walter BinghamExamples of madhouse in a Sentence
The stadium was a madhouse when the team won the championship.
it was hard to believe that this place with the bright cheery walls was really a madhouse
Recent Examples on the Web
Headphones are often my saving grace in this madhouse.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Given her reputation and TikTok-famous opener Ella Langley, the badge line was a madhouse.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
In the fourth quarter, Soldier Field was an absolute madhouse with 60,000-plus waving towels, chewing fingernails, frothing at the mouth and … grating cheese?
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madhouse
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Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Given her reputation and TikTok-famous opener Ella Langley, the badge line was a madhouse.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
In the fourth quarter, Soldier Field was an absolute madhouse with 60,000-plus waving towels, chewing fingernails, frothing at the mouth and … grating cheese?
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madhouse
Cite this Entry
“Madhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madhouse. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
madhouse
noun
mad·house
ˈmad-ˌhau̇s
1
informal, often offensive
: an institution providing care to mentally ill people
2
: a place of uproar or confusion
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