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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawling
Verb
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At the time of the invite, Congress was furiously bickering over a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, as Democrats refused to allocate funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Jenna is frustrated at his lack of seriousness, and Daisy wishes her department would stop bickering for once.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some of Miranda’s constituents are still fighting the city’s stadium plan, including its cost to taxpayers, which grew again in February to $135 million.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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Nissie Cadette took the mic and spoke about what an influence Metayer had been on her life, fighting through tears at every word.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In reaction, Afreximbank in January formally ended its relationship with one of the Big Three rating agencies, arguing that rating methodologies applied to states and multilateral institutions fail to reflect development mandates.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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Combs’ lawyers formally appealed the conviction last December, arguing the encounters were consensual and the trial judge imposed an overly harsh sentence.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her father, after quarreling with Antigone’s mother, locked her out of their house overnight, which led to a terrible accident.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
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Lydon’s revelation comes after years of quarreling with guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawling. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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