as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
the police had to break up an affray that started between fans of the opposing teams
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Recent Examples of affray
Doyle, a former Royal Marine, pleaded guilty to charges including dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent as well as three counts of wounding with intent.
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Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Paul Doyle admitted to dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, and three counts of wounding with intent, the BBC reports.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2025
The eight suspects range in age from 17 to 40, and the charges include rioting, committing an affray, trespassing and disorderly conduct.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
The two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and later released on bail, SWNS reported.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for affray
Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Paul Doyle admitted to dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, and three counts of wounding with intent, the BBC reports.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2025
The eight suspects range in age from 17 to 40, and the charges include rioting, committing an affray, trespassing and disorderly conduct.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
The two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and later released on bail, SWNS reported.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for affray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affray
Noun
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Two of the five teenagers detained in Quakertown remain in custody Thursday after an anti-ICE protest turned into a brawl with the police chief, according to an attorney for one of the teens.—
Liz Crawford,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Friars forward Duncan Powell struck a driving Hopkins in the head during the second half of the Red Storm’s eventual 79-69 win — a flagrant foul that sparked a brawl between the teams.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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According to investigators, what began as an argument between individuals quickly escalated into a physical altercation and ended with gunfire.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Police said a large group of people were at the location when there was an altercation in the parking lot, leading to the shooting.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affray. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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