Dictionary

kerfuffle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /kəˈfʌfəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /kɚˈfʌfəl/ (US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Probably from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to ker- + fuffle, or related to Irish cíor thuathail (“confusion, bewilderment”). Similar to modern Welsh cythrwfl (“uproar, trouble, agitation”)

Meanings

1. (Commonwealth, informal) A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult.
   • The debate seemed innocuous—a minor kerfuffle, but nothing that couldn’t be resolved and moved on from. 2023 May 28, Nadia Asparouhova, “Remembering GitHub's Office, a Monument to Tech Culture”, in Wired, →ISSN:
   • There's been a bit of a kerfuffle the past couple days over something Sarah Palin said about Paul Revere. 2011 June 6, Mark Memmott, “Sarah Palin's Had Her Say; Now Let's Hear From Paul Revere”, in The Two-Way, National Public Radio:
   • You know all this kerfuffle about Jordan and Peter Andre, and how you don’t know if they’re really splitting up or it’s just an act[…] 2009 May 22, Stuart Heritage, “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 15 Apr 2024:

Forms

Deriveds

kerfluff · kerfuffly

Synonyms

donnybrook · mess · hullabaloo · brouhaha · fracas · hubbub · racket

Translations (34)

fo rok (disorderly outburst) · fi hässäkkä (disorderly outburst) · es disturbio (disorderly outburst) · bg суматоха (disorderly outburst) · ru сумато́ха (disorderly outburst) · cs povyk (disorderly outburst) · fr désordre (disorderly outburst) · cs rámus (disorderly outburst) · nb ståhei (disorderly outburst) · sv uppståndelse (disorderly outburst) · fr brouhaha (disorderly outburst) · fr tumulte (disorderly outburst) · pt tumulto (disorderly outburst) · cmn 吵鬧 /吵闹 (disorderly outburst) · pt distúrbio (disorderly outburst) · pt bafafá (disorderly outburst) · de Durcheinander (disorderly outburst) · fi hälinä (disorderly outburst) · sv ståhej (disorderly outburst) · de Theater (disorderly outburst) · nl tumult (disorderly outburst) · es descalzaperros (disorderly outburst) · cmn 鬧騰 /闹腾 (disorderly outburst) · ca aldarull (disorderly outburst) · cs mela (disorderly outburst) · cmn 動亂 /动乱 (disorderly outburst) · cs tahanice (disorderly outburst) · fo ófriður (disorderly outburst) · ca commoció (disorderly outburst) · de Aufruhr (disorderly outburst) · cmn 混亂 /混乱 (disorderly outburst) · es pitote (disorderly outburst) · nb tumult (disorderly outburst) · de Wirbel (disorderly outburst)

kerfuffle en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /kəˈfʌfəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /kɚˈfʌfəl/ (US)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Probably from Scots curfuffle, equivalent to ker- + fuffle, or related to Irish cíor thuathail (“confusion, bewilderment”). Similar to modern Welsh cythrwfl (“uproar, trouble, agitation”)

Meanings

1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal, transitive) To make a disorderly outburst or commotion.

Forms