1
as in clashes
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in altercations
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in noises
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound
we could hear the brawl of the river rapids ahead of us before we could actually see them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fights
to express different opinions about something often angrily
the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of brawls
Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Both are perfectly capable of turning sequences that teeter on the edge of bathos into brawls.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
The onset of the Great Depression, which hit Germany’s fragile economy harder than most, heralded a rapid rise in street brawls among these groups.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Every week provides viral moments captured on cellphones of sports fans behaving badly, often erupting into life-altering brawls and chaos.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Big-market brawls between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees now happen yearly.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The curfew came following brawls with police, a racist threat and gunfire that led to a riot in the heart of Milwaukee's Black neighborhood on the city's north side.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Seattle Seahawks pratice erupted into many brawls.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.
—Marcus Lim, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Both are perfectly capable of turning sequences that teeter on the edge of bathos into brawls.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
The onset of the Great Depression, which hit Germany’s fragile economy harder than most, heralded a rapid rise in street brawls among these groups.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Every week provides viral moments captured on cellphones of sports fans behaving badly, often erupting into life-altering brawls and chaos.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Big-market brawls between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees now happen yearly.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The curfew came following brawls with police, a racist threat and gunfire that led to a riot in the heart of Milwaukee's Black neighborhood on the city's north side.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Seattle Seahawks pratice erupted into many brawls.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawls
Noun
-
Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Unfortunately, the launch of the Bearista cup didn’t go as expected, with merchandise shortages nationwide and physical altercations breaking out at some locations, leaving many customers empty-handed.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Nov. 2025
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Other behaviors that commonly cause altercations during flights include shouting, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, and reclining your seat without consideration for the person sitting behind.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the waning minutes of the first quarter of Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills broadcast, CBS’ lead color analyst began making a series of noises that sounded like the Hamburglar going through a bad divorce.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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These noises typically indicate that the load needs to be redistributed, but can also be a sign of other problems.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And the action ranges from dueling card tricks to the kind of honest-to-God fights that merely serve to remind us that balletic action films really are magic tricks.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The movie, about a pop girl group called HUNTR/X that fights demons, was a smash hit.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
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Amid the skirmishes that ensued, federal agents fired a chemical agent toward a protester at near-point-blank range, and security personnel later opened fire on a U-Haul truck that had backed up toward a barrier on the island’s bridge, injuring the driver and an apparent bystander.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Margolick devotes much space to the writers’ quarrels, their gripes, their resentment of one another.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Hip-Hop has equally thrived on legendary quarrels and strong relationships.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The former Argentina national team midfielder hopes that the roars of the crowd can carry over to the games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium next summer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
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For decades, the mighty roars of dinosaurs have thundered through movies, TV shows, and filled the imaginations of children and adults alike.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The pope, played by Samora la Perdida, is a mincing oaf who bickers with Galas about the value of translating Wagner.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawls. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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