as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
lost sight of his children in all the hurly-burly of the fair
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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
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
Compounding all of this household hurly-burly is the fact that Suada has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 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
He is considered a must-follow in the hurly-burly community known as Crypto Twitter for his informed takes on legal and regulatory news.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Oct. 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
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
Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
Compounding all of this household hurly-burly is the fact that Suada has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 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
He is considered a must-follow in the hurly-burly community known as Crypto Twitter for his informed takes on legal and regulatory news.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Oct. 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
Noun
-
There’s a huge commotion around us.—
Eli Sharabi,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The K-pop contingent caused a commotion, with Blackpink’s Lisa snapping pics with Stray Kids’ Felix.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The disturbance is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 8 to 12 inches with isolated maximum totals of 16 inches in eastern Cuba, and 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Bahamas.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The disturbance draws Rafferty and his men into the heart of the crowd — and away from the entrances — to break up the skirmish.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Uiagalelei has 18 pressures and four sacks this season and has been a force all over the field, including an impressive performance (six pressures, five hurries, one sack) at Penn State last week.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The outlook looks bleak if rookies Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips don’t improve in a hurry.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even with the constant turmoil on special teams, the offense routinely made it into Patriots territory.—
Mike Kaye
September 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Callie, the hottest person at Seattle Grace, went through so much turmoil and humiliation in her relationships prior to that, including, but not limited to, being cheated on by her husband and being dumped by a newly out lesbian who couldn’t handle her being bisexual.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Along with each political plot twist in the paddock, technological advancements cause quite a stir.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
That calmness, however, was soon overtaken by the kitchen, with the hiss of the pans, stir of the pots and sharp calls exchanged between cooks quickly filling the air, along with the sounds of an upbeat Peruvian song playing in the background.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Stop in to see what all the fuss is about.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The ongoing lawsuit isn't the first time the FTC has made a fuss about Amazon's operations recently.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But inside, under its domed roof, there was bustle.—
Brad Lefton,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
This long exposure image shows the bustle around Cerro Tololo, as headlights of cars illuminate a winding road across the mountain.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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