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
In five years, Keanu Reaves will be brawling like this.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Judo doesn’t look like brawling.
—
Bhumika Tharoor,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Despite the ferocious domestic rivalries, the Tartan Army is considered among the world’s friendliest football fans, known for singing and mingling instead of brawling (even if only while their national team is playing).
—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
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
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Judo doesn’t look like brawling.
—
Bhumika Tharoor,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
Despite the ferocious domestic rivalries, the Tartan Army is considered among the world’s friendliest football fans, known for singing and mingling instead of brawling (even if only while their national team is playing).
—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawling
Verb
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The emotional distress may have stemmed from the family's extended trip together and bickering, his mother told USA TODAY on June 3.
-
While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900.
Verb
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Then some classic fighting soldiers — not American Revolution battles but intergalactic — come blended into the metal music gyrations of the helmet-wearing band Galactic Empire.
-
As with fighting the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis, the urgency of the problem will likely only sink in when the need arises.
Verb
-
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, officials are pausing data center development for one year, with vocal neighbors arguing that the risk posed by a controversial project outweigh the threat of litigation.
-
President Donald Trump‘s first-term Attorney General Bill Barr is making an aggressive public push for Senate Republicans to confirm Todd Blanche as the nation’s next attorney general, arguing the president’s acting Justice Department chief is the best person to lead the department.
Verb
-
Now might not seem the moment for Democrats to be quarrelling, but many of them believe that the only way to build the Party back up is to remake it.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Brawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawling. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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