furor

noun

fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr How to pronounce furor (audio)
-ər
1
: an angry or maniacal fit : rage
furor of the god of warHenry Fuseli
2
3
: a fashionable craze : vogue
her singing … made her the furor of Paris overnightJanet Flanner
4
a
: furious or hectic activity
confusion and furor within the Pentagon over research and development spendingT. M. Bernstein
b
: an outburst of public excitement or indignation : uproar
Amid the furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.

Examples of furor in a Sentence

The book caused a furor across the country. Amid a public furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.
Recent Examples on the Web The speech touched off a furor in Israel, especially coming from Mr. Schumer, a longstanding Jewish supporter of the Jewish state and a close ally of Mr. Biden. Peter Baker, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 This furor reminds me of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s disastrous tour of the Caribbean in 2022. Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 The furor has also spurred CNN to review all previous photos received from Kensington Palace. Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024 The furor surrounding Messi is the latest example of how backlash against brands or celebrities can quickly snowball in China’s highly nationalistic social media sphere – in some cases with the potential for significant business ramifications in the country’s major consumer market. Shawn Deng, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 But some observers point to the potential cost the furor over one event gone wrong could inflict on Hong Kong’s reputation, which has already taken a blow due to China’s increasing grip over the city. Koh Ewe, TIME, 9 Feb. 2024 Adding to the furor, the sound of Keys’s voice cracking was edited out in the official video uploaded by the NFL. Marc Hogan, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 As the furor over a hoax email pertaining to from Google and detailing how Gmail was to supposedly be closed down on August 1 starts to evaporate, Elon Musk just added fuel to the fire by claiming to be developing a new email service called Xmail. Davey Winder, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 President Katalin Novak, Orban’s loyal but largely impotent ally, resigned last Saturday amid public furor over her decision in April 2023 to pardon the deputy director of a children’s home who had helped to cover up the abuse of underaged boys. Christian Edwards, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'furor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin, from furere to rage

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of furor was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near furor

Cite this Entry

“Furor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

furor

noun
fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr How to pronounce furor (audio)
-ˌōr
1
2
: an outburst of excitement : uproar

More from Merriam-Webster on furor

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