1
: heightened fuss or concern : to-do
much ado about the need for reform
2
: time-wasting bother over trivial details
wrote the paper without further ado
3
: trouble, difficulty
The journey itself is not described; our heroes disembark without ado at Philadelphia.—
Anthony Lane
Anthony LaneSynonyms
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Examples of ado in a Sentence
a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement In this case, much ado about nothing.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
All the same, talk of a union renaissance might be much ado about nothing.
—Veronique De Rugy, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ado 
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
All the same, talk of a union renaissance might be much ado about nothing.
—Veronique De Rugy, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ado
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ado.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to ado
Dictionary Entries Near ado
Cite this Entry
“Ado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ado. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ado
noun
: fuss entry 1 sense 1, trouble
much ado about nothing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share