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
-
Since then, showrunner Tim Minear and the rest of the writers have played up the actors' natural chemistry, playing into both the characters' bickering dynamic and their willingness to do anything, including risking their lives, for one another.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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The two get to bickering about her terrible track record, with Dennis hilariously failing to realize that this accusation includes him among the questionable men.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 41-year-old Ukrainian soldier was severely injured during a mine explosion in 2024 while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.—
Rebecca Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
The final battle came down to him fighting Jack, who had replaced Jacob as protector of the island.—
Julie Tremaine,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
Verb
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In a letter to Knudsen, the Mid-North Association also directly opposed the athletic lighting plan, arguing that field lights do not belong in a residential neighborhood and would disturb community members’ lives, including by increasing traffic in the area.—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
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Trump spent months criticizing Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, for being reluctant to cut interests rates, with the Republican president arguing that lower borrowing costs would provide an economic boost.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
Verb
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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.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Brawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawling. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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