French word

brouhaha

Pronunciation

IPA/bʁuaa/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncommotion

Example

Il y a un brouhaha dans la salle.

There is a commotion in the room.

Illustration for brouhaha (commotion)

More examples

Au milieu du brouhaha, elle a crié pour se faire entendre.

In the middle of the hubbub, she shouted to make herself heard.

Core concept

A room where overlapping voices and small sounds merge into one indistinct wash of noise.

Common phrases

  • un brouhaha de voix

    a hubbub of voices

  • au milieu du brouhaha

    in the middle of the hubbub

Similar words

bruit: Any sound from people or things, including general background noise.
vacarme: A continuous din that is loud, intrusive, and difficult to ignore.
tumulte: Disorderly crowd activity in which noise, voices, and movement intermingle.
chahut: Playful noise and minor disorder from children, spectators, or a similar group.

Definition in French

Bruit confus produit par plusieurs voix ou sons qui crée une ambiance bruyante et indistincte.

Word origin

French brouhaha is an onomatopoeic formation that imitates the blended sound of many voices and noises.

Usage tips

  • Brouhaha is masculine, so standard phrases include un brouhaha and dans le brouhaha.

Other meanings

  • dinnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word