brouhaha

noun

brou·​ha·​ha ˈbrü-ˌhä-ˌhä How to pronounce brouhaha (audio)
ˌbrü-ˌhä-ˈhä,
brü-ˈhä-ˌhä
: hubbub, uproar
A brouhaha erupted over her statements.

Did you know?

The English language borrowed brouhaha directly from French in the late 18th century, but its origins beyond that are uncertain—not quite the subject of noisy brouhaha but perhaps more modest debate. What’s less arguable is that brouhaha is fun to say, as are many of its synonyms, including hubbub, williwaw, hullabaloo, bobbery, and kerfuffle. And many of these, also like brouhaha, tend to suggest a certain judgment that the reason for all the foofaraw is a bit silly, or at least not worth getting all worked up about. A dad joke, for example, might raise some brouhaha, even though it’s really no reason for an uproar to brew. Haha!

Examples of brouhaha in a Sentence

A brouhaha erupted over her statements about the president. There's been a lot of brouhaha about her statements.
Recent Examples on the Web In April, Sublime will play in front of thousands of fans at Coachella – a far cry from the Long Beach backyard brouhahas on which the band originally made its name. Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 16 Feb. 2024 None of this sat well with the Academy, which implemented new rules in the wake of the brouhaha. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024 Amidst this particular Carlin brouhaha, the show finally made a minor public concession earlier this week. Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024 The brouhaha is yet another headache for boards attempting to navigate PR crises churning around the bombastic billionaire. Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024 The pair infamously teamed up to heckle President Biden during his 2022 State of the Union Address on national TV, but have reportedly had their differences since, including a January brouhaha in a U.S. Capitol bathroom. Brian Niemietz New York Daily News (tns), al, 22 June 2023 The Real Deal Sometimes lost in the brouhaha over provenance is the question of authenticity. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2023 This brouhaha is reminiscent of 1981 and U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s showdown with the British Keynesian establishment — a showdown that the Iron Lady won handily. Emilio Ocampo, National Review, 18 Oct. 2023 As the anchors tried to outdo each other with their Swift fandom, the sketch ended with a cameo by Travis Kelce himself — the Kansas City Chiefs tight end at the center of the brouhaha. Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brouhaha.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brouhaha was in 1890

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Dictionary Entries Near brouhaha

Cite this Entry

“Brouhaha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brouhaha. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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