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
-
The sound of screeching truck brakes comes from behind, followed by a massive commotion.—
Wyles Daniel,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Soon her two boys, Noah and Nico, found her – unsure about the commotion and clearly uninterested in the magnitude of the moment.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Police responded to a disturbance in the 900 Block of Chateau Park Drive, the police department said in a statement.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
-
During the investigation, the deputies learned that a group of people was driving to the coast when a disturbance occurred inside the vehicle.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On the other hand, advocates on both sides of the issue have said individuals with mobility challenges are the very customers who would have the most trouble accessing food in a hurry if a drive-through went away.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The two-time All-Big Ten honoree hasn’t allowed a sack in three seasons, and only allowed two hurries last year.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Iran’s leaders have repeatedly threatened to intervene more forcefully to choke off oil supplies; regime change there could have a similar outcome, if the resulting internal turmoil disrupts production.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Her win itself was born from that turmoil.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 1995, Taschen published his first book, which made a stir with portraits of soft, indirect illumination, emphasizing naturalness.—
Steve Appleford,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
But the matter caused quite a stir in Georgia, where the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections sued to regain their materials and some Republicans have questioned the search.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Testing of Your Safety Devices Your home’s safety devices, like smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and GFCI outlets, are designed to protect without much fuss.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
17 Feb. 2026
-
No reservations, no fuss, just pizza.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the consumer market, that silence has created noise.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Ideal for bedrooms, nurseries, apartments with older doors, and homes with hardwood or tile floors, this $4 draft stopper can stop the chilly air from entering, while also muffling outside noises and blocking dust, pollen, and pests.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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