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 Bingham
Synonyms
Examples 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
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Welcome to the madhouse.
—Vulture, 28 Feb. 2022
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
But the Vaughns planned Records & Retro to be a cool all-day hang not just a Black Friday-type madhouse.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 15 Oct. 2022
Michigan football on Saturday beat Ohio State, 45-23 in Columbus for the first time since 2000 and Twitter, understandably, was a madhouse.
—Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 26 Nov. 2022
The crowd kept up the energy for 60 minutes, turning the 87,451-seat stadium into a madhouse.
—Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 13 Nov. 2022
The school year was winding down, which meant tests and grades and the usual madhouse rush.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022
Why should anyone expect things will suddenly be fixed during a visit to the madhouse Caesars Superdome?
—Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2022
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Vulture, 28 Feb. 2022
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
But the Vaughns planned Records & Retro to be a cool all-day hang not just a Black Friday-type madhouse.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 15 Oct. 2022
Michigan football on Saturday beat Ohio State, 45-23 in Columbus for the first time since 2000 and Twitter, understandably, was a madhouse.
—Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 26 Nov. 2022
The crowd kept up the energy for 60 minutes, turning the 87,451-seat stadium into a madhouse.
—Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 13 Nov. 2022
The school year was winding down, which meant tests and grades and the usual madhouse rush.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022
Why should anyone expect things will suddenly be fixed during a visit to the madhouse Caesars Superdome?
—Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'madhouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near madhouse
Cite this Entry
“Madhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madhouse. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
madhouse
noun
mad·house
ˈmad-ˌhau̇s
1
: a place where insane persons are kept
2
: a place of uproar or confusion
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