French word

vacarme

Pronunciation

IPA/vakaʁm/

Meaning

  • masculine nounnoise

Example

Le vacarme m'empêche de dormir.

The noise keeps me from sleeping.

Illustration for vacarme (noise)

More examples

Le vacarme des enfants rend la concentration difficile.

The children's racket makes it difficult to concentrate.

Core concept

Overlapping shouts, bangs, and cries turn a normally quiet place into an intrusive wall of noise.

Common phrases

  • faire du vacarme

    make a racket

  • provoquer un vacarme

    cause a commotion

Similar words

bruit: Any sound or noise coming from a person or object.
tapage: A noisy neighborhood disturbance caused by sustained loud sounds or nuisance behavior.

Definition in French

Bruit très fort et confus, souvent désagréable, qui gêne le repos ou la concentration et évoque une agitation bruyante.

Word origin

Vacarme comes from Old French vacarme, a sound-imitative formation that developed as a word for intense, disorderly noise.

Usage tips

  • Vacarme is stronger and more negative than ordinary bruit, which can refer to any sound or noise.

Other meanings

  • uproarnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • vacarmeuxnoisyadjective

Word lists with this word