1
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
the police broke up the fracas in the bar and threw both combatants in the lockup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
police preparing for any fracas that might follow the soccer game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fracas
There was a fracas that earned the Nuggets and Clippers six technical fouls on Sunday, while the Pistons-Knicks and Rockets-Warriors series have been notably chippy, with technicals and flagrants frequent.
—
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
However, another fracas broke out at the end of the frame, and the Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli was sent to the penalty box for roughing.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
Following an intense midgame fracas with the Detroit Pistons on Monday, two critical Timberwolves contributors will serve out their single-game suspensions against Denver.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
There have been intense moments, big games, and even a fracas.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fracas
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
However, another fracas broke out at the end of the frame, and the Lightning’s Anthony Cirelli was sent to the penalty box for roughing.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
Following an intense midgame fracas with the Detroit Pistons on Monday, two critical Timberwolves contributors will serve out their single-game suspensions against Denver.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
There have been intense moments, big games, and even a fracas.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
-
Yet Villa were short of cash and the lack of financial headroom brought skirmishes with profit and sustainability rules (PSR).—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
-
Could a Stronger Federal System Have Prevented the Texas Disaster and is this even the question to ask? America’s approach to disaster relief has long been one of the recurring skirmishes in the larger political theatre of governance.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
If a person tears off someone’s ear or nose in a bar brawl, jail time is almost certain.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
The Enquirer,
4 July 2025
-
There's much to consider about this hypothetical brawl.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
In many ways, the game might offer a blueprint for the quarterfinal clash against Paris Saint-Germain.—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
Speaking in a press conference ahead of his team’s Club World Cup round-of-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte, Maresca voiced a similar sentiment.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
At Monday’s arraignment, when prosecutors revealed the details of the altercation, a judge ordered Horsman to be held without bail.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
-
In a now-viral recording of the altercation posted to Reddit, Perry is seen grabbing the other passenger's hair.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
His 2014 film The Grave tells the story of a man who hears about the discovery of a mass grave and escapes from a nursing home to confront his past on the site of the Battle of the Ebro, the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 July 2025
-
The battle will continue as Trump has blasted the mainstream media for years and signed an executive order to cut federal funding for National Public Radio and PBS, said U.S. Rep. John B. Larson of East Hartford.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Pledging weapons for Ukraine's fight appears to be the latest stage in this pivot.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
Here, there was a much tighter focus on the individual pieces of research that had become casualties in that larger fight.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
The dustup laid bare the tension between why many people go to college and why professors teach.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
Sonny signs on and immediately gets into tense dustups with Pearce who, like Sonny, is prone to making rash decisions and is more of an individual racer than a team player.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share