1. places of great confusion, disorder, or chaos
Usage: informal
2. psychiatric hospitals or mental institutions
Usage: dated; potentially offensive

Examples

• The shopping mall on Black Friday was complete madhouses.
• During the fire drill, the school hallways became madhouses.
• The emergency room turned into madhouses after the accident.
• These old buildings used to serve as madhouses in the 19th century.
• The kitchen during dinner prep was one of those madhouses where everyone was rushing around.
• Traffic made the highways look like madhouses during rush hour.