1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
it turned out that the ballyhoo was the result of a movie being filmed on the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hype
information released to the media that is designed to gain public attention or support for a person, business, or cause
the usual ballyhoo intended to fill the seats at megaplexes around the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to advertise
to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively
that reviewer always ballyhoos any book by one of his pet authors
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to promote
to provide publicity for
the TV networks usually spend the summer months ballyhooing their new fall shows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ballyhoo
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
10 Dec. 2025
The chefs have clearly helped Miami diners expand their palates, serving unusual dishes that could potentially make diners uneasy, like the ballyhoo, which Martinez said should return to the menu once the season starts in a few weeks.
—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
And Jennifer Maas previews The Game Awards to explain how the event has grown into the Oscars for video games by blending kudos and ballyhoo.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballyhoo
Noun
Reps also seemed to walk back Lawson’s earlier ballyhoo, floating the idea of projecting only conservation messages rather than symbols of corporate greed and ambition.
—
Mark Hay,
Popular Science,
10 Dec. 2025
The chefs have clearly helped Miami diners expand their palates, serving unusual dishes that could potentially make diners uneasy, like the ballyhoo, which Martinez said should return to the menu once the season starts in a few weeks.
—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
After being delayed for more than three weeks, the graduation for more than 80 sheriff cadets was finally allowed — and ballyhooed as the largest academy class in the agency’s history.
—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
And Jennifer Maas previews The Game Awards to explain how the event has grown into the Oscars for video games by blending kudos and ballyhoo.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballyhoo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballyhoo
Noun
-
Then about a week later, the son responded to a commotion outside their home and found Spencer hitting his mother in the head with a brick, according to officials.
-
Seeing the commotion, Louis and Paul came galloping back.
Noun
-
Usage spikes can happen suddenly, experimentation expands rapidly across teams and model selection decisions may be driven more by hype than operational efficiency.
-
But contrary to the TikTok hype, hypochlorous acid is not a cure-all.
Verb
-
As Musk has advertised numerous times in the past decade, Starship is also designed to drive down the cost of getting cargo to orbit by orders of magnitude — from a couple thousand dollars per kilogram to as little as $10 per kilogram.
-
But in the days after Cape Verde drew against Spain, a different company began advertising Blue Sharks jerseys on social media.
Verb
-
While promoting Cape Fear on the SmartLess podcast, Adams told the story of saving a man’s life in Santa Monica.
-
Supporters of Amendment 3 have used Thursday’s court ruling to promote the new amendment.
Noun
-
Golt could not say what the disturbance was about.
-
However, in the eastern Pacific basin, a pair of tropical disturbances are being watched for possible development in the next several days far from land.
Noun
-
But Tom’s publicity coup comes at a cost.
-
Troupis and Roman both filed motions seeking to relocate the trial from Dane County, which includes Madison, to neighboring Jefferson County, saying negative publicity had tainted the potential jury pool.
Verb
-
The first season of Beef wasn’t just critically acclaimed; it was widely hailed as an avatar of post-pandemic rage.
-
After Lyles announced that Harrington won the second ballot, the council voted unanimously to acclaim Harrington as the city’s next mayor.
Verb
-
Prime Day 2026 just kicked off, running from June 23-26 with markdowns across fashion, beauty, home, and electronics from all the best-selling brands.
-
That attempt successfully nullified a rule that would have required all vehicles sold in California to be zero-emission by 2035.
Cite this Entry
“Ballyhoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballyhoo. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
