as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of brawling
McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism.
—
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The two superstars immediately began brawling.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The soldiers’ pastimes of drinking, gambling, and brawling also offended many Bostonians, who retained the piety of their Pilgrim ancestors.
—Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Sports could be dangerous even without brawling in UFC’s Octagon, an eight-sided cage.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Having a cyberarm might offset glitches in brawling attacks to encourage players to take more risk dice during a first fight.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
From taking throat punches to brawling naked, the Oscar winner manages to balance the physical comedy of the film while still centering the story’s emotional heart.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Cottonwood Creek was brawling down its rocky channel, making a loud racket in the stillness of the morning.
—Fred C. Mercer, Outdoor Life, 14 Aug. 2025
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The two superstars immediately began brawling.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The soldiers’ pastimes of drinking, gambling, and brawling also offended many Bostonians, who retained the piety of their Pilgrim ancestors.
—Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Sports could be dangerous even without brawling in UFC’s Octagon, an eight-sided cage.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Having a cyberarm might offset glitches in brawling attacks to encourage players to take more risk dice during a first fight.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
From taking throat punches to brawling naked, the Oscar winner manages to balance the physical comedy of the film while still centering the story’s emotional heart.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Cottonwood Creek was brawling down its rocky channel, making a loud racket in the stillness of the morning.
—Fred C. Mercer, Outdoor Life, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawling
Verb
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Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, and the other members of The Morning Show’s newsroom and its network are once again bickering and backstabbing.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
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Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even a small showing of functional toughness from Tyler Kleven, fighting Joe Veleno after a thunderous check on Canadiens defenceman Alexandre Carrier, proved to be somewhat ill-advised.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Learning to trust someone who hurt her so deeply again, especially when pesky romantic feelings won’t stop fighting to the surface.—
Brittany Johnson,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The two were arguing inside a car and then got out of the car, where the fight escalated, police said.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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One report, citing a source close to Sheridan, even claimed the writer was annoyed that Paramount sent too many of its top suits to a meeting designed to keep Sheridan onboard, arguing that Ellison had messed up by bringing more than two execs along with him.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The discovery was entirely by chance, and happened when an officer responded to Mirella's parents' residence after neighbors reported quarreling, per several outlets.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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The political malaise risks metastasizing into an economic crisis because the quarreling political parties cannot agree on a way forward, such as passing a budget and addressing the country's alarming budget deficit and mounting national debt.—
John Toher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawling. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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