fracas

noun

fra·​cas ˈfrā-kəs  ˈfra- 

British

ˈfra-ˌkä 

plural fracases ˈfrā-kə-səz 

ˈfra-

or British fracas ˈfra-ˌkäz 

: a noisy quarrel : brawl

a drunken fracas

Synonyms of fracas

• skirmish
• clash
• battle
• fight
• scuffle
• dustup

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

But the fracas after the final buzzer didn’t dim the lights as the Hawks secured their 10th straight win. —Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 17 Mar. 2026

The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026

Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision of San Francisco’s ascendant recovery was dealt a blow Thursday when a police officer who protects him was injured in a back-alley fracas in the Tenderloin. —J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026

The fracas has even revived the anti-military sentiment at Google, where a tiny fraction of its employees wrote a letter to the company imploring it to make a similar stand. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fracas

noun

fra·​cas ˈfrā-kəs  ˈfrak-əs 

: a noisy quarrel or fight