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
-
No shove, no commotion, no clue.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Multiple people were escorted out of the room amid the commotion.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Detainees struggle to obtain medication and healthcare, lose concerning amounts of weight because of a lack of food, and live in fear of private security guards known to use force to put down disturbances.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Games between Rangers and Celtic are heavily policed and often lead to disturbances around the city of Glasgow, where both clubs are based.—
Luke Bosher,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pezeshkian's message, seemingly recorded in a hurry, underlined the limited powers exercised by the theocracy's leaders over the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls the hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting Israel and other countries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Plus, the one-pull Quicklace design makes these easy to pull on in a hurry.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The album reflects all the turmoil and subsequent tranquility that Blake found within the music.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
At that time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating a strict Islamic dress code.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Actor Timothee Chalamet’s recent statements about ballet and opera have caused a stir online, and some Atlanta arts institutions are responding to the controversy.—
Olivia Wakim,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
This is a great thing for stir-frying.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yannick Nézét-Séguin let the prelude speak with minimal fuss, then unspooled the rest of the score with total control, pulling the thread taut, relaxing it, and increasing the tension again, until by the end the orchestra bloomed into rapture.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Salmon is an increasingly popular fish that’s easy to prepare at home with minimal fuss.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The noise disappears as the reading party begins.—
Sofia Zarran,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The suit alleged the developers violated a development agreement and would bring pollution, noise and traffic to a nearby neighborhood.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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