Adjacent Words

Commotion definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMMOTION, n.
1. Agitation; as the commotion of the sea.
2. Tumult of people; disturbance; disorder, which may amount at times to sedition or insurrection; as the commotions of a state.
When ye hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified. Luke 21.
3. Agitation; perturbation; disorder of mind; heat; excitement.
He could not debate without commotion.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a disorderly outburst or tumult; "they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused" [syn: disturbance, disruption, commotion, flutter, hurly burly, to- do, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, kerfuffle]
2: the act of making a noisy disturbance [syn: commotion, din, ruction, ruckus, rumpus, tumult]
3: confused movement; "he was caught up in a whirl of work"; "a commotion of people fought for the exits" [syn: whirl, commotion]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French commocion, from Latin commotion-, commotio, from commov?re Date: 15th century 1. a condition of civil unrest or insurrection 2. steady or recurrent motion 3. mental excitement or confusion 4. a. an agitated disturbance ; to-do b. noisy confusion ; agitation

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a a confused and noisy disturbance or outburst. b loud and confusing noise. 2 a civil insurrection. Etymology: ME f. OF commotion or L commotio (as COM-, MOTION)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Commotion Com*mo"tion, n. [L. commotio: cf. F. commotion. See Motion.] 1. Disturbed or violent motion; agitation. [What] commotion in the winds ! --Shak. 2. A popular tumult; public disturbance; riot. When ye shall hear of wars and commotions. --Luke xxi. 9. 3. Agitation, perturbation, or disorder, of mind; heat; excitement. ``He could not debate anything without some commotion.'' --Clarendon. Syn: Excitement; agitation; perturbation; disturbance; tumult; disorder; violence.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(commotions) A commotion is a lot of noise, confusion, and excitement. He heard a commotion outside... N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Agitation, disturbance, perturbation. 2. Turmoil, turbulence, tumult, disorder, violence, bustle, disturbance, pother, ado, to do.

Moby Thesaurus

Bedlam let loose, ado, agitation, annoyance, bedlam, blast, bluster, bobbery, boil, boiling, bother, botheration, brawl, broil, brouhaha, burst, bustle, cacophony, chaos, charivari, chirm, churn, clamor, clangor, clap, clatter, coil, communal, confusion, conjoint, conjunct, conturbation, convulsion, din, discomposure, discord, disorder, disquiet, disquietude, disturbance, dither, donnybrook, donnybrook fair, drunken brawl, dustup, ebullience, ebullition, eddy, effervescence, embroilment, excitement, fanaticism, feery-fary, ferment, fermentation, fever, feverishness, fidgetiness, fidgets, fit, flap, flurry, fluster, flutter, flutteration, flutteriness, foment, fomentation, foofaraw, fracas, free-for-all, frenzy, fume, furor, furore, fury, fuss, fussiness, hassle, hell broke loose, helter-skelter, howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, hurrah, hurry, hurry-scurry, inquietude, insurgence, insurrection, irritation, jangle, jitters, joint, jumpiness, lather, loud noise, maelstrom, malaise, melee, moil, mutiny, mutual, nerviness, nervosity, nervousness, noise, noise and shouting, outcry, pandemonium, passion, pell-mell, perturbation, pother, public, racket, rage, rampage, rattle, rebellion, restlessness, revolt, rhubarb, riot, roar, roil, rough-and-tumble, roughhouse, rout, row, ruckus, ruction, ruffle, rumble, rumpus, scramble, seethe, seething, shared, shindig, shindy, shivaree, spasm, spurt, stew, stir, storm, storminess, strain, sweat, swirl, swirling, tempestuousness, tension, thunder, thunderclap, tintamarre, to-do, trepidation, trepidity, trouble, tumult, tumultuation, tumultuousness, turbidity, turbulence, turmoil, twitter, unease, unquiet, unrest, upheaval, uprising, uproar, upset, upturn, vexation, vortex, whirl, wildness, yeastiness, zeal, zealousness