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
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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
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Recent Examples of fracas
The European leg this summer was bookended by developments in a case relating to a 2023 London club fracas in which Brown allegedly assaulted a music producer.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Her willingness, the atmosphere of fracas, her feeling of doom, of having made the wrong decision, had propelled her under the trees.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Sergio Busquets, who hit Vargas in the face during the fracas, and Tomas Aviles, who swung at Sounders players, both got bans and fines from the tournament but were not punished by MLS.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Her willingness, the atmosphere of fracas, her feeling of doom, of having made the wrong decision, had propelled her under the trees.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Sergio Busquets, who hit Vargas in the face during the fracas, and Tomas Aviles, who swung at Sounders players, both got bans and fines from the tournament but were not punished by MLS.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
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Archaeologist Tony Pollard said that initial analysis indicates their finds were some of the last shots fired during the skirmish.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
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Pro Bowl defensive linemen Derrick Brown was forced to physically remove Robinson from the skirmish as teammates on both sides tried to intervene.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Harvey was just 11 years old when that fight occurred, but her teammate and Team USA leader Hilary Knight was there, and involved in the brawl.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a takeover clash over the obesity biotech Metsera, with both pharmaceutical giants raising their bids for the startup as of Monday.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Kings trailed by 15 when the altercation occurred.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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During a 2020 interview with DJ VLAD, Mack 10 rehashed the near-altercation with Common and reiterated that Fat Joe stepped in to smooth things over.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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History buffs should head to Saratoga National Historic Park, which was the site of two pivotal Revolutionary War battles.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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What began as a grassroots open-records request has now branched into a multifront legal battle.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Their scuffle escalated — with Banegas holding a Glock pistol and, later, pulling the trigger.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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While the penalty flag hit the turf, a big scuffle ensued with players on both teams getting involved.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This dustup likely means that some of the nation’s most vulnerable will end up going hungry, at least temporarily.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Prior to the dustups with NBCU and TelevisaUnivision, YouTube TV had nearly blacked out Paramount and Fox networks, reaching deals with both media companies after tensions spilled into public view.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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