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
Rosenblatt now lives in a gray, semidetached Victorian house on a somnolent road just off the hurly-burly of a North London high street.
—
John Lahr, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
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
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
John Lahr, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
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
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
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Those seated in the gunner or engineer positions will also be treated to additional clips of Grogu via their adjacent flight panels, the young alien here portrayed as something of a playful pet of a child who is exaggeratedly chill during the commotion.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2026
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Someone would start a cheer, others would join in, and the commotion would attract a new wave of attention, phones open to streaming apps, the entire scene straddling the line between performance and audience.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
This misalignment, sustained over years, is associated with elevated risk for depression, metabolic disturbance and impaired cognition.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Though signals may overlap (compaction, moisture, and disturbance, after all, can exist all at once), the presence of particular weeds, without overanalyzing them, can lend helpful clues to what your desirable garden plants need done in order to thrive.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The dogs still living around the exclusion zone are likely descendants of pets left behind after residents surrounding the Chernobyl power plant fled the region in a hurry, Mousseau said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
-
Messi left the field in a hurry after those games, heading straight to the tunnel, and most other players followed suit.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The most recent turmoil stems from the second of two rulings from the state’s highest court that focused on a referendum campaign, called People Not Politicians, that last year turned in more than 305,000 signatures to force a November statewide vote on the map.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
-
The cuts deepen the turmoil at Air India, following a devastating crash last year and the departure of its CEO last month.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Frozen fresh peppers are excellent for stir frys, soups, stews, sauces, and more.—
Aly Walansky,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
Seemingly sporting strange rooftop structures, these vehicles are causing something of a stir in the news cycle.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
No fuss, no muss — just high-quality ingredients and a touch of spice.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
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Between the flattering V-neck design, flowy butterfly sleeves, and pleated pattern, this top was made to move with you without any fuss or restriction.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Anne Hathaway is finally cutting through the noise surrounding the internet’s latest plastic surgery obsession.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
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Lago said city officials required more detailed operational and safety plans to address noise and residents before approving the large gatherings.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurly-burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurly-burly. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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