hubbub

(hŭb'ŭb')
n.

1. Loud noise; din. See synonyms at noise.
2. Confusion; tumult.

[Probably of Irish Gaelic origin, akin to Scottish Gaelic ubub, an interjection of aversion or contempt.]

WORD HISTORY   It has often been remarked that the early Celtic inhabitants of Britain contributed very little to the stock of English words. Perhaps this should not surprise us, given the difficult relations over the centuries between the people of Germanic stock and the people of Celtic stock in England and Ireland. It seems likely that a certain English contempt resides in the adoption of the word hubbub from a Celtic source, which is probably related to ub ub ubub, a Scots Gaelic interjection expressing contempt, or to abu, an ancient Irish war cry. In any case, hubbub was first recorded (1555) in the phrase Irish hubbub and meant "the confused shouting of a crowd." In addition to the senses it has developed, hubbub was again used, possibly in an unflattering way, by the New England colonists as a term for a rambunctious game played by Native Americans.

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noun

Sounds or a sound, especially when loud, confused, or disagreeable: babel, clamor, din, hullabaloo, noise, pandemonium, racket, rumpus, tumult, uproar. See sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.

n

Definition: commotion, disorder
Antonyms: calm, order, peace

IN BRIEF: Noisy confusion.

There is always a lot of hubbub in the cafeteria when all of the students are there.

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For a list of words related to hubbub, see:

• Fusses and Troubles

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See words rhyming with "hubbub."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Hubbub.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - larm, ståhej

Nederlands (Dutch)
geroezemoes, gedruis, tumult

Français (French)
n. - brouhaha, tohu-bohu

Deutsch (German)
n. - Tumult

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - οχλοβοή (κν. νταβατούρι), φασαρία, ταραχή

Italiano (Italian)
tumulto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - rebuliço (m)

Русский (Russian)
шум, сумятица

Español (Spanish)
n. - algarabía, alboroto, barullo, jaleo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - oväsen, bråk, larm, sorl, bestyr, ståhej

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
吵闹声, 叫嚷声, 呐喊声

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 吵鬧聲, 叫嚷聲, 吶喊聲

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 왁자 지껄, 함성, 소동

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ガヤガヤ, 騒動

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ضجيج, صخب, هرج ومرج‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮המולה, שאון, מהומה‬

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