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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawling
Verb
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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.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
-
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Now, Troiano said, his organization is focused on fighting bills in about a dozen states that would close party primaries to independent voters.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
30 May 2026
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The Hema and Lendu ethnic groups have been fighting over land and minerals in the gold-rich province of Ituri since the Second Congo War in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Russia warns of major Kyiv attacks The Kremlin urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, warning of a major forthcoming attack, with analysts arguing that Russia is losing momentum in its war on Ukraine.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
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The men were arguing about a conflict that their children were having, the mother told the TV station.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 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 2 Jun. 2026.
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