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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Recent Examples of brawling
This game is the ultimate in brawling adventure.
—
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
And in 2025, the Bearista cup caused a craze, with customers lining up overnight and, in some cases, brawling over it.
—Nick El Hajj, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Republicans have a rare, if slim, shot at winning the governor’s mansion in deep blue California — but risk blowing it if they’re divided and brawling when voters receive their ballots in early May.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2026
Massive crowds were packed shoulder-to-shoulder, dancing wildly, brawling and turning the shoreline into a scene of disorder right before multiple gunshots sent thousands sprinting in panic.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 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
Weaving’s nickname of Sam even inspired the character’s name, so the notion of them brawling in Ready or Not 2 could’ve been some meta fun.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Videos recorded at the scene appeared to show Danis brawling with Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed Zaynukov, both teammates of Makhachev.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
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
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
And in 2025, the Bearista cup caused a craze, with customers lining up overnight and, in some cases, brawling over it.
—Nick El Hajj, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Republicans have a rare, if slim, shot at winning the governor’s mansion in deep blue California — but risk blowing it if they’re divided and brawling when voters receive their ballots in early May.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2026
Massive crowds were packed shoulder-to-shoulder, dancing wildly, brawling and turning the shoreline into a scene of disorder right before multiple gunshots sent thousands sprinting in panic.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 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
Weaving’s nickname of Sam even inspired the character’s name, so the notion of them brawling in Ready or Not 2 could’ve been some meta fun.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Videos recorded at the scene appeared to show Danis brawling with Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed Zaynukov, both teammates of Makhachev.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawling
Verb
-
For those of us interested in governing and not bickering, this is a good thing.—
Gail Slater,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In some states, lawmakers are still bickering over how money should be spent.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Twin Cities,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The camp is entirely dependent on aid, disrupted after cuts by USAID last year and again by fighting between Syrian and Kurdish forces this February.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Despite how difficult sitting through the case was, the jurors commended Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez for her fairness — and lead prosecutor Abbe Rifkin for fighting so hard for Quatisha.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video obtained by The News shows the victim arguing with the dog owner when a woman in red storms up and starts swinging.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The West Texas project recently received the largest air pollution permit ever granted in the US, while Musk’s Memphis project has faced multiple lawsuits arguing the gas turbines are worsening air quality in historically Black communities.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The lack of money has, at times, led to quarrelling between the services - most notably pitting the navy against the army and the Royal Air Force.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Police said witness accounts indicate that the couple arrived at Zuri Hotel in Zanzibar on April 4 and had been quarreling frequently until the night of April 8, when hotel management separated them and asked McCann to move to a separate villa about a 10-minute walk away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawling. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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