Meaning & use
palooza
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A big, lively event or occasion, often named by joining it to another word, as in a festival devoted to one theme.
Grammar: Usually attached to another word or its ending: Tacopalooza, a taco-palooza.
Patterns
- something-a-palooza
- a palooza of something
The school's spring carnival turned into a pizza-palooza with a dozen food stalls.
Our neighbors hold a yearly barbecue palooza.
The mall advertised a three-day shopapalooza.
Word forms
| plural | paloozas |
|---|
Common combinations
- a palooza of food
- The wedding was a palooza of food and dancing.
- lollapalooza
- The festival was a real lollapalooza.
- summer palooza
- The town hosted a summer palooza in the park.
- palooza weekend
- We planned a palooza weekend of movies.
Synonyms and how they differ
- extravaganza
- Extravaganza sounds more polished and large, whereas palooza is jokier and more casual.
- bash
- Bash is a plain word for a lively party without the humorous naming trick of palooza.
- fest
- Fest is another suffix-like word, but it feels slightly more neutral than palooza.
- jamboree
- Jamboree suggests a large friendly gathering, often of an organization, rather than a themed fun event.
Word family
- lollapalooza noun
- an old American slang word for something remarkable, the likely source of palooza
- palooka noun
- a clumsy or unskilled person, an unrelated slang word
Commonly confused: palooza or palooka?
palooza vs palooka
A palooka is a clumsy person, especially a weak boxer; a palooza is a big lively event.
Practice
Which would you most likely call a palooza?
Choose one answer.
A palooza is a big, exuberant themed event. The other options are quiet, serious or ordinary.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “palooza”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.