brawl
verb
\
Definition of brawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
brawl
nounDefinition of brawl (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for brawl
Synonyms: Verb
altercate, argue, argufy, bicker, brabble, controvert, dispute, fall out, fight, hassle, jar, quarrel, quibble, row, scrap, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle
Synonyms: Noun
affray [chiefly British], broil, donnybrook, fracas, fray, free-for-all, melee (also mêlée), rough-and-tumble, row, ruckus, ruction
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Examples of brawl in a Sentence
Verb
Fans were brawling in the streets after the game. the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windowsNoun
they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Instead, Jonathan Aladin, 19, ran from the store brawling with an employee, Allyn D. Gibson. — Washington Post, "Protests at Oberlin labeled a bakery racist. Now, the college will pay $11 million for libel.," 10 June 2019 The Funny’’ about everyday life in Miami-Dade such as a jump roping Miami police officer or customers brawling with a Burger King manager over some fries in south Miami-Dade. — Johnny Diaz, sun-sentinel.com, "El Jefe? Fidel Castro look-alike sighting turns heads on social media," 6 June 2019 Over the past year, the two rappers have gone from denying ill will toward one another to slyly shading each other to supposedly brawling at a party during New York Fashion Week. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and the sexist female rapper paradigm behind their feud, explained," 6 Nov. 2018 Shocking footage shows the moment a cheerleader brawled with a bully after she was punched in the head. — Fox News, "Video shows cheerleader brawling with 'bully' after trying to make peace," 10 Sep. 2018 Will the president respond by brawling or cutting deals? — Jason L. Riley, WSJ, "The Blue Wave May Wash Education Reform Away," 13 Nov. 2018 Wisconsin Democrats also brawled in an eight-way primary for the chance to try (yet again) to knock out incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "Women Continue to Make History in an Election Year That's Already Shattering Records," 15 Aug. 2018 This joint practice fight comes days after the New York Jets and Washington Redskins brawled during their scrimmage. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "Texans star DeAndre Hopkins, 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward fight at joint practice," 15 Aug. 2018 By brawling with America’s friends, critics say, Trump has squandered an opportunity to build a united front against China. — Paul Wiseman, The Seattle Times, "What you need to know about the upcoming U.S.-China tariffs," 2 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Against Pittsburgh this year, Dietrich is hitting a saucy .423/.444/1.269, including seven of his 17 home runs, one of which sparked a benches-clearing brawl back in April. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Problem With the MLB Draft," 4 June 2019 In February, an off-duty Los Angeles police officer shot and wounded a homeless military veteran on skid row after the two were engaged in an early morning brawl near the Midnight Mission. — James Queally, latimes.com, "Victim killed in downtown L.A. motorcycle chase was homeless man," 3 June 2019 His potential weaknesses haven’t been widely debated yet, by other candidates, though several have taken swipes at Biden in recent days, foreshadowing a larger brawl. — Michael Scherer, The Seattle Times, "Biden tests assumptions about what Democratic voters want in Trump era," 20 May 2019 An all-out brawl almost ensues, but Debbie smooths it over. — Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Glow Season 2, Episodes 1-10," 29 June 2018 But if the second-place finisher is a Democrat — most likely former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — there could be a brawl in November. — George Skelton, latimes.com, "Some see a Newsom strategy to boost Republican John Cox: 'Putin would be proud'," 24 May 2018 Grainy footage of the encounter obtained by the AP shows Trump security officials shoving a representative of the condo owners’ association and a brawl in a stairwell between opposing security guards. — Jeff Horowitz, Time, "Trump Hotel Executives Ousted from Offices in Panama After 12-Day Standoff," 5 Mar. 2018 McGregor also was suspended from MMA competition for six months and fined $50,000 for his role in a brawl instigated by Nurmagomedov immediately after their bout last October. — Greg Beacham, The Seattle Times, "Conor McGregor announces retirement on social media," 26 Mar. 2019 Five of those arrested were involved in a brawl that happened near the parade’s end and at least seven of the arrests were juveniles, Boyle said. — Philip Marcelo, The Seattle Times, "What a (familiar) feeling: Boston fetes Super Bowl winners," 6 Feb. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brawl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about brawl
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Them's Fightin' Words
Them's Fightin' Words
8 Words to describe a brawl
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More Definitions for brawl
brawl
verb
English Language Learners Definition of brawl
See the full definition for brawl in the English Language Learners Dictionary
brawl
verb
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Kids Definition of brawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
brawl
nounKids Definition of brawl (Entry 2 of 2)
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