1
: heightened fuss or concern : to-do
much ado about the need for reform
2
: time-wasting bother over trivial details
wrote the paper without further ado
3
: trouble, difficulty
The journey itself is not described; our heroes disembark without ado at Philadelphia.Anthony Lane

Examples of ado in a Sentence

a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The sweet interaction comes after much ado has been made about rumors of a splintered cast, prompting mass fan speculation largely after Isaacs himself hinted to behind-the-scenes tension amid the grueling filming process, which took part for the better part of a year on-location in Thailand. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 May 2025 But the biggest sign that Belgrade was much ado about nothing is that nobody, not one protester, even mentioned the likeliest cause behind the collapse: not the corruption of Vucic’s government but the Chinese Communist Party. Tiana Lowe Doescher, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025 With no further ado, ladies and gentlemen, choose your poison. Lilian Raji, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 This all might seem to be much ado about nothing new: After all, information gathering has always been susceptible to deception, manipulation, and misinformation. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2020 See All Example Sentences for ado

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, reduced from the infinitive phrase at do, from at "to, at entry 1" + do, don "to do entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ado was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ado. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

ado

noun
: fuss entry 1 sense 1, trouble
much ado about nothing

More from Merriam-Webster on ado

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