hurly-burly

noun

ˌhər-lē-ˈbər-lē How to pronounce hurly-burly (audio)
Definition of hurly-burlynext
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity lost sight of his children in all the hurly-burly of the fair

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hurly-burly But mostly for my parents, who had worked so hard for so many years to create a refuge from the hurly-burly of the outside world. — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025 Mustard admires the fact that, rather than engage in the hurly-burly of social media, Lamar will disappear from public view for long stretches of time. — Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 22 Aug. 2024 The image’s low contrast and lack of sharpness suggest that it was snapped from the hurly-burly of the piazza. — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023 In the hurly-burly of a modern economy, people are constantly being hurt by economic changes beyond their control. — Alan S. Blinder, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurly-burly
  1. commotion
  2. disturbance
  3. hurry
  4. turmoil
  5. stir
  6. fuss
  7. noise
Noun
  • In video her family shared on Instagram, several police officers can be seen running toward the commotion while parents clutch their children.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 28 July 2026
  • Instead, the commotion was gunfire coming from his next door neighbor’s driveway on Zavala Road.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
Definition of commotion
Noun
  • Officers say the changes are aimed at addressing a recent rise in overnight disturbances while reassuring visitors and businesses that Old Sacramento remains a safe destination.
    — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • They are identified as brain activity accompanied with multisensory disturbances and sometimes don’t even cause the signature intense pain.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 30 July 2026
Definition of disturbance
Noun
  • Two years into her reign, in 2024, an insider revealed that Camilla wasn’t in any hurry to step away.
    — Starr Bowenbank, InStyle, 18 July 2026
  • Prairiewolf has always seemed bent on finding new territory while being in no particular hurry to get there.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 17 July 2026
Definition of hurry
Noun
  • So then this kind of social turmoil also with the economic turmoil, inflation was really, really high for a number of years in the '90s.
    — Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • First signs of turmoil emerged in July last year, when LuisaViaRoma revealed plans to streamline its business operations by shutting its unit and office in Milan.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 July 2026
Definition of turmoil
Noun
  • Alessandro Michele‘s reinventions of the iconic Valentino Rockstud shoe caused quite the stir when introduced in his pre-fall 2026 collection — but another one of Michele’s heel styles has been quietly heating up alongside it.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • North West's tour caused a stir online, with some individuals voicing concern about Kardashian and Ye's oldest daughter touring at 13.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of stir
Noun
  • Much fuss has been made online about these audience scores by a segment of the population who believe The Odyssey was destined to fail, and something sinister must be going on behind the scenes to produce these numbers.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Midfielder Joao Neves looks to move the ball on quickly, finding Bruno Fernandes with a quick pass, but Rodri is aware and instantly closes him down, barging him off the ball and returning the ball to his centre-back with minimal fuss.
    — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of fuss
Noun
  • Planning Director Cori Reaume told the council that the specific use permits means city staff would consider noise, water systems and effects of data centers on adjacent properties.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
  • But lost amid the noise were two other mammoth data center projects making moves in metro Atlanta, both of which filed key state paperwork on the same day as OpenAI.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of noise

Browse Nearby Words

hurly-burlies
hurly-burly
hurrah
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Cite this Entry

“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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