Spanish word

jaleo

Pronunciation

IPA/xaˈleo/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncommotion

Example

No me interesa ese jaleo.

I'm not interested in that commotion.

Illustration for jaleo (commotion)

More examples

Los vecinos se quejaron por el jaleo nocturno.

The neighbors complained about the nighttime commotion.

Core concept

A noisy crowd shouting, jostling, and causing confusion.

Common phrases

  • montar un jaleo

    create a commotion

  • armar un jaleo

    kick up a fuss

  • hay jaleo

    There is a commotion

Similar words

alboroto: Loud, disorderly disturbance from many people making a scene.
barullo: Overlapping sounds jumbled together into a messy, confusing racket.
follón: Troublesome, messy situation that causes confusion and a lot of fuss.
bullicio: Lively bustle of people moving and talking, producing busy background noise.

Definition in Spanish

Ruido y alboroto causado por varias personas que produce confusión o molestia.

Word origin

The noun comes from jalear 'to shout encouragement' plus the suffix -eo, originally naming cheering at bullfights and flamenco and later extended to any noisy disturbance caused by several people.

Usage tips

  • The phrases montar un jaleo and armar un jaleo are common, and context or tone shows whether the noise is celebratory or an annoying uproar.

Other meanings

  • noisinessnoun
  • rowdinessnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • jalearcheerverb
  • jaleadorhecklernoun

Word lists with this word