Synonyms of brawl

brawl 1 of 2

noun

1

as in clash

a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people

they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clash
• altercation
• melee
• skirmish
• affray
• rough-and-tumble
• fracas
• ruckus
• row
• fray
• scuffle
• broil
• ruction
• fisticuffs
• tussle
• donnybrook
• free-for-all
• battle
• dispute
• argument
• scrimmage
• spat
• quarrel
• contest
• conflict
• combat
• squabble
• horseplay
• struggle
• tiff
• roughhousing
• scrap
• wrangle
• hassle
• handgrips
• kickup

2

as in altercation

an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions

the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• altercation
• dispute
• quarrel
• fight
• controversy
• disagreement
• bicker
• argument
• skirmish
• row
• spat
• squabble
• misunderstanding
• feud
• disputation
• imbroglio
• set-to
• tiff
• falling-out
• clash
• debate
• donnybrook
• contretemps
• battle royal
• wrangle
• cross fire
• kickup
• tussle
• rhubarb
• argy-bargy
• run-in
• argle-bargle
• tangle
• scrap
• difference
• protest
• attack
• hassle
• fisticuffs
• melee
• vendetta
• logomachy
• catfight
• contention
• dissension
• protestation
• objection
• affray
• fracas
• free-for-all
• fuss
• fray

3

as in roar

loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound

we could hear the brawl of the river rapids ahead of us before we could actually see them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• roar
• noise
• rattle
• chatter
• commotion
• racket
• din
• clatter
• cacophony
• clamor
• discordance
• blare
• bang
• bluster
• bruit
• babel
• discord
• clangor
• decibel(s)
• bowwow
• katzenjammer
• dissonance
• rumpus
• boom
• hubbub
• uproar
• tumult
• furor
• crash
• blast
• hullabaloo
• hurly-burly
• clap
• jangle
• crack

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• still
• silence
• quiet
• stillness
• lull
• calm
• hush
• silentness
• serenity
• quietude
• tranquility

brawl

2 of 2

verb

ˈbrȯl 

as in to bicker

to express different opinions about something often angrily

the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bicker
• fight
• argue
• spat
• quarrel
• clash
• squabble
• dispute
• debate
• row
• wrangle
• fall out
• scrap
• tiff
• jar
• hassle
• quibble
• altercate
• controvert
• discuss
• contest
• mix it up
• lock horns
• brabble
• argufy
• butt heads
• bandy words
• challenge
• dare
• protest
• contend
• tangle
• object
• kick
• defy
• fuss
• cavil
• nitpick
• consider

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• get along
• coexist
• agree
• accept
• concur
• consent
• assent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brawl

Noun

One recent City Series game at Wrigley also had three arrests and included viral brawl that many Cubs fans blamed on Sox fans, though video showed a guy in a Cubs jersey was punching a guy in a Cubs jersey as well. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026

There appeared to be no lingering ill will in the first meeting between the clubs since a three-game series at Cincinnati in mid-April that featured a benches-clearing brawl. — CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

What turns him on is cryptic babes, brawling men and stagy fables of lust, rivalry and possession. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

English soccer fans have earned a reputation for violent hooliganism, hurling plastic chairs and brawling their way across the piazzas and boulevards of Europe. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 3 July 2026