kerfuffle
noun
J. K. RowlingBelinda Luscombe
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The Evolution of Kerfuffle
Fuffle is an old Scottish verb that means “to muss” or “to throw into disarray”—in other words, to (literally) ruffle someone’s (figurative) feathers. The addition of car-, possibly from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “wrong” or “awkward,” didn’t change its meaning much. In the 19th century carfuffle, with its variant curfuffle, became a noun, which in the 20th century was embraced by a broader population of English speakers and standardized to kerfuffle, referring to a more figurative feather-ruffling. There is some kerfuffle among language historians over how the altered spelling came to be favored. One theory holds that it might have been influenced by onomatopoeic words like kerplunk that imitate the sound of a falling object hitting a surface.
Examples of kerfuffle in a Sentence
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 29 July 2025
Fox 4 sports reporter Taylor Burr shared video of the kerfuffle on her X account and included an earlier battle between the two Chiefs rookies.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025
As Shannon walks out, her date, Phil, is on the other side of the room waiting for the kerfuffle to play out.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Raleigh was at the center of a pitch-tipping kerfuffle that led to benches clearing against the Toronto Blue Jays in April.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for kerfuffle
Cite this Entry
“Kerfuffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kerfuffle. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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