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
Relevance
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of brawl
ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Atlanta, which led 4-2 when the game was interrupted by the brawl, went on to a 7-2 victory.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Noun
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López each received seven-game suspensions from Major League Baseball on Wednesday after they were ejected following their participation in a brawl Tuesday night.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Atlanta, which led 4-2 when the game was interrupted by the brawl, went on to a 7-2 victory.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Drivers brawled with attendants when the gas ran out, or when the lines weren’t moving fast enough, and cops closed down the stations, which made no one happy.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawl
Noun
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All three judges scored it 98-92 for the 29-year-old Briton, who sustained cuts over both eyes from head clashes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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And the clash of ideologies must now be balanced on the backs of many hardworking people trying to keep their children out of institutional care and on the Medicaid providers that support them.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Security broke up the altercation, but the fight resumed outside in the parking lot, prompting security at UWM Sports Complex to call the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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In the video, recorded by Mortensen on his cellphone, Paul can be seen screaming and throwing metal chairs, one of which struck one of her children who witnessed the altercation, according to the criminal indictment.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The loudest roar of the day coming when the punter dotted a shot into the 1-yard line.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For the first time in this series, the Rogers Centre crowd rose to a roar.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the time of the invite, Congress was furiously bickering over a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, as Democrats refused to allocate funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Pointing to elk heads mounted on the wall, the two jokingly bickered over who had bowhunted which.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Offset, whose name is Kiari Kendrall Cephus, 34, was shot and wounded in the melee and taken to Memorial Regional Hospital.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
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The power outage and ensuing driverless-car melee in December in San Francisco reminded me of it.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are also disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes in the north-central and northwestern part of the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Federal Trade Commission and StubHub this week settled a dispute over allegations that StubHub concealed the actual, total prices of tickets over a three-day period in May 2025.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management warned residents that demolition may produce loud noises and advised them to close their windows.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park fought the noise of campus hoopla to present Duke Ellington's sacred music at Knowles Chapel.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Like there was a demon in his lungs, fighting the last bit of banishment.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that causes vision loss — and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.—
Chase Jordan
April 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawl. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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