make a fuss

1. Cause a needless commotion or display, as in I'm sure he'll be here soon; please don't make a fuss . It is also often put as make a fuss about or over , as in He's making a fuss about nothing , or If you make a fuss over the small budget items, what will it be like when we discuss the big ones? The idiom dates from about 1800, although the use of fuss in this sense is a century older.

2. make a fuss over someone . Treat someone with excessive attention, solicitude, or affection, as in Whenever they visit Grandma she makes a fuss over the children . [1920s]

Example Sentences

"They might literally appear and we want to make a fuss of them," she adds.

From BBC

Still, it's been quite a while since the Post tried and failed to make a fuss.

From Salon

During Letby's criminal trial, key witness Dr Ravi Jayaram told the jury that he and his fellow consultants were under a "reasonable amount of pressure from senior management at the hospital not to make a fuss".

From BBC

I don’t want to make a fuss.’”

From Los Angeles Times

“Yep. My therapy really paying off. I wasn’t as scared of her as I would’ve been once upon a time. She let me put you in my sack and didn’t make a fuss. You was going in and out of consciousness. Looks like you got hit with magic.”

From Literature

Related Words

• afflict
• agitate
• annoy
• burden
• concern
• disconcert
• disturb
• irk
• irritate
• perplex
• perturb
• plague
• sadden
• strain
• torment
• upset
• vex