to make a fuss
22
3.0
- phrasal verb
- /meɪk ə fʌs/
:
armar un escándalo
- Why does the mainstream media not make a fuss about these restrictions?
- people make a fuss
- cry and make a fuss
- started making a fuss
It's best not to like make a fuss about it.
- It's best not to like make a fuss about it.
- I I said you're not making a fuss.
- We can have family life and we can just progress without making a fuss.
- And if they are trying to to promote pictures which are clearly not accurate, then, you know, it's understandable that they'll make a fuss.
Examples
-
Please, please, don't make a fuss.
-
The children started to make a fuss when they couldn't have ice cream for dessert.
-
Look, I hate to make a fuss...
-
You never make a fuss.
-
The politicians are making a fuss too.
-
- I'm not making a fuss.
-
But my goodness, why on Earth are we making a fuss about that?
Blog text (24) -
We've got a new member of the group, let's not make a fuss about it.
-
But since I figured it was just me, I didn't want to make a fuss.
Blog text (19) -
Don't make a fuss.
Synonyms
211
2.8
To complain in a high, annoying voice
51
6.1
To shout loudly to demand something, often with other people
45
4.9
Act loudly in public to show strong feeling and get attention
38
5.6
To complain repeatedly about small things
18
4.4
To show sudden strong anger or upset, often like a child
15
7.9
Behave loudly and angrily to cause trouble
8
9.6
To complain a lot in an annoying way
7
6.0
To complain loudly in a way that annoys other people
5
8.1
To complain in an annoying way about small things
4
9.9
To become too upset about a small problem
4
4.6
Show strong anger or upset feelings by talking loudly
4
6.8
Complain loudly in public to get attention
4
9.9
To complain often about small things
2
6.4
Complain loudly about something small
2
7.4
To complain loudly and make people notice the problem
2
9.9
To become very upset about a small problem
1
9.0
To speak or write very angrily against something to show strong criticism
1
9.5
Become very upset about something small
To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly
Get very angry or upset about small things
To act nervously and make a small fuss
Act nervously and make a fuss about something small
Antonyms
How Upset
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'make' (to cause) plus 'fuss' (unnecessary excitement or complaint), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer that it means to cause or display noisy/upset behaviour about something. The verb + noun construction is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'hacer un escándalo', French 'faire une histoire'), which supports immediate comprehension at B1.
Etymology
The phrase make a fuss comes from the simple image of someone using their hands and voice to make a fuss, creating a small, noisy scene that draws attention. That's why it now means 'to become upset and make a lot of noise about something, often more than needed'.