as in brawls
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affrays
Noun
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The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025 -
Both are perfectly capable of turning sequences that teeter on the edge of bathos into brawls.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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No arrests, detentions or altercations with police were reported.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Loud sounds of rioters and altercations with Capitol Police could be heard clearly.—
Sarah Ghermay,
Washington Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Affrays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affrays. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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