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
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
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
The three childlike siblings, who all wear thick black-rimmed Coke-bottled glasses and often speak in cartoonish unison, were previously a cost-saving embarrassment for the Chiefs, but their penchant for brawling and immature antics quickly garner the team popularity as ruthless heels.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Noun
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
Verb
Sports could be dangerous even without brawling in UFC’s Octagon, an eight-sided cage.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
The three childlike siblings, who all wear thick black-rimmed Coke-bottled glasses and often speak in cartoonish unison, were previously a cost-saving embarrassment for the Chiefs, but their penchant for brawling and immature antics quickly garner the team popularity as ruthless heels.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawl
Noun
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Much of this strife, including throughout the 1967-1970 civil war and subsequent clashes over the decades, has also been closely tied to feuds across ethnic and territorial lines.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Pfizer and Novo Nordisk are in a takeover clash over the obesity biotech Metsera, with both pharmaceutical giants raising their bids for the startup as of Monday.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Kings trailed by 15 when the altercation occurred.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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During a 2020 interview with DJ VLAD, Mack 10 rehashed the near-altercation with Common and reiterated that Fat Joe stepped in to smooth things over.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The 17-year-old’s entrance drew the loudest roar, a fleeting spark of hope from a crowd otherwise watching a season fade.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Then a deep, unmistakable roar of a lion rolled across the flatness.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The pair bicker and bond their way through the whimsical Panda Kingdom, a vibrant world that blends the everyday with the extraordinary, carrying animals and humans alike into something at once magical and mundane.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Roberts and Tim Robbins play American journalists in Paris who lose their luggage and bicker over a hotel room and then wind up in bed together.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Mia — who’s blinded by the allure of a newborn that’s long eluded her and her husband — doesn’t heed Riley’s warning about the nature of the child, and in the course of their melee, Riley accidentally crashes through the second-story window of their family home.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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The story opens at Kyoto’s Tenryu-ji Temple, where 292 participants gather for the first battle — a vast, night-long melee staged without digital enhancement.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Plus, a jury acquitted a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent, a deli and a cookbook author are in a trademark dispute, and more.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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While carriage disputes are nothing news, and Disney has had high-profile ones with DirecTV and Charter in recent years, the YouTube TV situation is unique.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Flooding the valley with noise and velocity, making an impressive mess – smash-up of trees, shrubbery, and unballasted creatures.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The era of noise is fading, and a quieter, more serious phase has begun.—
Gus Bartholomew,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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More than other age groups, teens have to fight to stay on a schedule that doesn't match their biology.—
NPR,
NPR,
2 Nov. 2025
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Since taking office, Manzo, often seen wearing a bulletproof vest, had called on the federal government to do more to fight organized crime while expressing fears for his own safety.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawl. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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