brawl

1 of 2

verb

ˈbrȯl 

brawled; brawling; brawls

intransitive verb

1

: to quarrel or fight noisily : wrangle

soccer fans brawling in the streets

2

: to make a loud confused noise

The Miami river … brawled over 25 feet of rapids …

—Marjory S. Douglas

brawler noun

brawl

2 of 2

noun

1

: a noisy quarrel or fight

a brawl broke out among the fans

a barroom brawl

2

: a loud tumultuous noise

… the spring run became quite a trout brook and its tiny murmur a loud brawl …

—John Burroughs

Synonyms of brawl

Verb

• bicker
• fight
• argue
• spat
• quarrel
• clash
• squabble
• dispute

Noun

• clash
• altercation
• melee
• skirmish
• affray
• rough-and-tumble
• fracas
• ruckus
• row

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 windows

Noun

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

On the night of January 14, after some drinking, two young men started brawling and the incident turned bloody—an average Tuesday evening in this part of the city at this time. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

Grammy award-winning singer Chris Brown to be sentenced over brawling at a London nightclub three years ago. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026

Noun

Valkyria got back into the match fairly quickly and the brawl was on. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

The brawl was captured on cellphone video and shared among neighbors. — Amy Corral, CBS News, 26 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English brawlen, brallen, of uncertain origin

Noun

Middle English braule, brall, noun derivative of brawlen "to brawl entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing brawl

• barroom brawl

Rhymes for brawl

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall
• gall

Kids Definition

brawl

verb

ˈbrȯl

1

: to quarrel noisily : wrangle

2

: to make a loud confused noise

brawl noun

brawler noun