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.
—
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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Without the barriers of legislation, the brawl spills out of control.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Trial attorneys also have deep pockets, setting up an expensive political brawl.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Deputies responded on the night of March 20 to an address along 6th Avenue following reports of a verbal altercation at a gathering.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Not for nothing — no one in this altercation is wearing a helmet on their bike!—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Affray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affray. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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