dustup

noun

dust·​up ˈdəst-ˌəp 

: row, fight

Synonyms of dustup

• skirmish
• clash
• battle
• fight

Examples of dustup in a Sentence

He had a dustup with a guy in the bar.

he came home with a black eye from the dustup at the bar

Recent Examples on the Web

With under five minutes remaining in regulation, Pelicans reserve forward Julian Reese — the brother of Atlanta Dream superstar Angel Reese — received a technical foul for his role in a dustup involving Clowney. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2026

This period also marked the beginning of the dustups that would characterize the field for decades. — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 12 Nov. 2026

That dustup is typically followed by a defense in Puck’s media newsletter, the reflexively anti-rank-and-file outlet where some media bosses and spokespeople go to air grievances about their unruly staff. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

As for the offense overall, Payne agreed that the dustups with the defense helped motivate the offense. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dustup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup