Standard Lemma guide

hullabaloo

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌhʌləbəˈluː/
  • General-American: /ˌhʌləbəˈlu/
  • General-American: /ˈhʌləbəˌlu/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AH2 L AH0 B AH0 L UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A clamour, a commotion; a fuss or uproar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • They made such a hullabaloo about the change that the authorities were forced to change it back.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ado, hype, to-do, argy-bargy, bangarang, bobbery, brouhaha, bunfight, bustle, bust-up, chaos, ferment, clamour, clatter, commotion, disruption, disturbance, flap, flutter, foofaraw, fracas, furor, fuss, hobbleshaw, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, kerfuffle, mayhem, merry hell, outcry, palaver, pandemonium, pother, quarrel, riot, rowdydow, ruckus, rumpus, shemozzle, shindy, splatterdash, stir, stooshie, three-ring circus, tomfoolery, trouble, tumult, turmoil, unrest, uproar, upstir

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make a commotion or uproar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

disturbance usually in protest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agitation, excitement, turmoil, upheaval

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disturbance

History

Etymology

Possibly a rhyming reduplication of halloo (used as a greeting or to catch attention; used in hunting to urge on pursuers), hilloa, hullo (variants of “hello”), and similar words.

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جَلَبَة (jalaba) — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Bulgarian: гюрултия (gjurultija) — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Bulgarian: дандания (dandanija) — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Bulgarian: калабалък (kalabalǎk) — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Czech: povyk — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Dutch: bombarie — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Finnish: hulabaloo — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Finnish: hulina — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Finnish: mekastus — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Finnish: mekkala — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Finnish: meteli — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: branle-bas — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: branlebas — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: buzz — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: émeute — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: excitation — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: tintamarre — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: clameur — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Aufheben — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Aufregung — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Aufruhr — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Bohei — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Gedöns — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Rummel — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Wirbel — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Tohuwabohu — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Theater — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • German: Zirkus — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Hungarian: felzúdulás — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Icelandic: buslugangur — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Icelandic: hamagangur — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Irish: fuilibiliú — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Irish: fuililiú — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Latvian: brēka — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Polish: poruszenie — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Polish: raban — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Polish: rwetes — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Polish: zamieszanie — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Russian: тарара́м (tararám) — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Upper Sorbian: hołk — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Upper Sorbian: šmjat — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Upper Sorbian: šmjatańca — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Upper Sorbian: keklija — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Upper Sorbian: rozbudźenosć — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: aspaviento — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: barullo — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: excitación — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: rebullicio — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: revuelo — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: descalzaperros — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: algarabía — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: rebato — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Spanish: trapisonda — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Swedish: hallabaloo — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Swedish: kalabalik — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Swedish: liv — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Swedish: uppståndelse — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Turkish: karışıklık — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Turkish: hayhuy — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Turkish: teşevvüş — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Welsh: halabalŵ — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Welsh: halibalŵ — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • Welsh: dadwrdd — clamour, commotion, fuss or uproar
  • French: faire des chichis — to make a commotion or uproar
  • French: chichiter — to make a commotion or uproar
  • German: viel Aufheben machen — to make a commotion or uproar
  • German: einen Rummel veranstalten — to make a commotion or uproar
  • German: einen Wirbel machen — to make a commotion or uproar
  • German: für Wirbel sorgen — to make a commotion or uproar
  • German: Wellen schlagen — to make a commotion or uproar
  • Polish: wywoływać wielkie poruszenie — to make a commotion or uproar
  • Polish: wywołać wielkie poruszenie — to make a commotion or uproar
  • Sicilian: fari casinu — to make a commotion or uproar
  • Spanish: poner el grito en el cielo — to make a commotion or uproar
  • Spanish: hacer muchos aspavientos — to make a commotion or uproar