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
The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Life around the office, which included a basketball court and beer on tap, was a preview of the headquarters-as-madhouse ethos soon to dominate Silicon Valley.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2022
The show biz bona fides firmly located modern experience within the dizzying hall of mirrors that is the mass-media madhouse.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for madhouse
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Life around the office, which included a basketball court and beer on tap, was a preview of the headquarters-as-madhouse ethos soon to dominate Silicon Valley.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2022
The show biz bona fides firmly located modern experience within the dizzying hall of mirrors that is the mass-media madhouse.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for madhouse
Cite this Entry
“Madhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madhouse. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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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