brawl

verb

\ ˈbrȯl

brawled; brawling; brawls

Definition of brawl

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

brawl

noun

Definition of brawl (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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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 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

The Proud Boys connection Salinas often flies across the country to march alongside groups that have directly brawled with antifa, such as the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer. — Marina Starleaf Riker, ExpressNews.com, "Far-right groups gain mainstream momentum in crusade against anti-fascist movement," 13 Sep. 2019 While the Bulls, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks brawled for that top seed in the East, the Utah Jazz were seven games better than the No. 2 Seattle SuperSonics. — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, "Bill Fitch’s last coaching job may have been his best," 4 Sep. 2019 Proud Boys have routinely brawled with left-wing activists in the streets of Portland, New York and elsewhere. — oregonlive.com, "Will Proud Boys, antifa showdown mark a tipping point for Portland?," 10 Aug. 2019 But the bare-knuckle, brawling style that the Tea Party brought to American politics, Mr. Brandon added, is still very much intact. — Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, "The Tea Party Didn’t Get What It Wanted, but It Did Unleash the Politics of Anger," 28 Aug. 2019 Recently, videos of brawling Miami Beach partyers went viral on social media. — Candace Taylor, WSJ, "Wealthy Buyers Say ‘So Long’ to South Beach," 27 June 2019 On that occasion, there were a couple exchanges that boiled over into what qualifies as brawling in football. — Jeff Miller, latimes.com, "Chargers’ Kyzir White eager to showcase his promise after injury-shortened debut," 3 June 2019 In an interview at City Hall with The Oregonian/OregonLive, the pair, who collectively lead Portland’s police force, voiced their toughest stance yet against people using the cloak of free speech as a pretext to brawl on city streets. — oregonlive.com, "Portland mayor and chief warn protest instigators: Expect stern police response," 6 Aug. 2019 Progressives and moderates will brawl until the convention over the best way to deliver health care. — Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, "Five takeaways from the Democrats’ policy brawls," 31 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The water park closed early and customers were escorted out after the brawl. — Los Angeles Times, "Brawl between families at Raging Waters in Sacramento started with fight over beach towel," 27 Aug. 2019 Maybe no school was more relieved to turn the page than Hoover High, which saw its reputation take a hit after a student brawl at the school last year . — Andrew J. Campa, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale Unified kicks off first day of school in style," 21 Aug. 2019 Facebook and Instagram banned the group from their services shortly after the October brawl. — The Washington Post, oregonlive.com, "2 Proud Boys convicted of assault charges on antifa activists in NY," 19 Aug. 2019 This notably comes after the 2012 New York City nightclub brawl that allegedly involved Drake and Brown and their entourages. — Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE.com, "R & Beef? Drake and Chris Brown Recast Their Alleged 2012 Brawl as a Dance Battle in New Video," 26 July 2019 All four suspects fled the area after the brawl and before San Diego police officers arrived. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "SDPD seeks help to identify suspect in Pacific Beach bouncer assault," 11 July 2019 One man was shot after a brawl over the custody of a child led to gunfire from multiple people Saturday afternoon at a Walmart parking lot in northwest suburban Rolling Meadows. — Alice Yin, chicagotribune.com, "Man shot in Rolling Meadows Walmart parking lot over custody dispute, police say," 16 June 2019 Still loves Indiana On Jan. 17, 2007, after six seasons with the Warriors, the Pacers acquired Murphy (and Mike Dunleavy) in a deal that sent Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington out of town after the brawl in Detroit. — Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star, "Ex-Pacer Troy Murphy living on Vegas strip helping the suddenly rich and not making a dime," 10 June 2019 He was dismissed from the Bearcats after a nightclub brawl but returned after two seasons at a junior college, helping Cincinnati reach two NCAA tournaments. — Ben Bolch, latimes.com, "Mick Cronin’s determination fueled his coaching journey from Cincinnati to UCLA," 8 June 2019

These 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.