ruckus

noun

ruck·​us

ˈrə-kəs,

 also  ˈrü-,

or

ˈru̇- 

plural ruckuses

1

: a noisy fight or disturbance : row, commotion

raise/cause/create a ruckus

heard a ruckus down the street

He went outside to see what all the ruckus was about.

The dogs … typically would set off quite a ruckus whenever they heard something in the woods …

—Larry Livermore

2

: a state or situation in which many people are angry or upset : fuss, uproar

… IHOP recently caused a social media ruckus after announcing it would change its name …

—Lauren Delgado

… the county's GOP is embroiled in a lively legal ruckus over an attempt to seize control of the party.

—Charles Burress

Synonyms

• brawl
• clash
• altercation

Examples of ruckus in a Sentence

the ruckus left one person with a sprained wrist

quit creating such a ruckus—I'm trying to sleep!

Recent Examples on the Web

The ruckus drew a gaggle of onlookers, many of whom filmed the interaction, which went viral afterward. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025

The players began to dogpile on top of each other with some punches being thrown in the ruckus. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025

Lou began raking the trees behind me, causing quite a ruckus. —Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 8 Oct. 2025

The scene doesn’t go as planned, leading its irate French director Caroline Lescot (Nathalie Richard) to cause a slapstick ruckus, shot at a distance by Köhler’s camera. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably blend of ruction and rumpus

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ruckus

• raise a ruckus

Rhymes for ruckus

• ficus
• picus

Kids Definition

ruckus

noun

ruck·​us ˈrək-əs 

ˈrük-,

ˈru̇k-

: row entry 4