fracas

noun

fra·​cas ˈfrā-kəs How to pronounce fracas (audio) ˈfra- How to pronounce fracas (audio)
British
ˈfra-ˌkä How to pronounce fracas (audio)
plural fracases ˈfrā-kə-səz How to pronounce fracas (audio)
ˈfra-
or British fracas ˈfra-ˌkäz How to pronounce fracas (audio)
: a noisy quarrel : brawl
a drunken fracas

Examples of fracas in a Sentence

the police broke up the fracas in the bar and threw both combatants in the lockup police preparing for any fracas that might follow the soccer game
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At a panel discussion at Carnegie Hall in 1999, Dohnányi got into a minor fracas with his esteemed colleague Pierre Boulez over the distinctive tone of French bassoons. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025 Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov, standing behind Hagel, took exception and gave Hagel a forceful cross-check in the back, sending him lunging forward and drawing both teams into a fracas in the corner of the ice. Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 As the fracas unfolded and players attempted to separate the two, Branch pulled Smith-Schuster’s helmet off. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025 That would be Thomas Paine, the man credited with turning the American Revolution from a complicated Colonial fracas into a titanic struggle for the soul of liberty itself. Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fracas

Word History

Etymology

French, din, row, from Italian fracasso, from fracassare to shatter

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fracas was in 1716

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fracas. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

fracas

noun
: a noisy quarrel or fight

More from Merriam-Webster on fracas

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