as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
he came home with a black eye from the dustup at the bar
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dustup
Chicago Med's heartbeat is holding steady after 11 seasons of medical emergencies, impromptu surgeries, and the occasional ED dustup.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
This dustup likely means that some of the nation’s most vulnerable will end up going hungry, at least temporarily.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Prior to the dustups with NBCU and TelevisaUnivision, YouTube TV had nearly blacked out Paramount and Fox networks, reaching deals with both media companies after tensions spilled into public view.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
And the headline bombshells continue in the who-did-what-when mortgage dustups.
—Susan Tompor, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
This dustup likely means that some of the nation’s most vulnerable will end up going hungry, at least temporarily.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Prior to the dustups with NBCU and TelevisaUnivision, YouTube TV had nearly blacked out Paramount and Fox networks, reaching deals with both media companies after tensions spilled into public view.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
And the headline bombshells continue in the who-did-what-when mortgage dustups.
—Susan Tompor, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dustup
Noun
-
After a skirmish, Pretti escaped from the officer and went toward the crowd.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Swayman went down to one knee and the referees broke up the skirmish.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The head of Yemen's ruling leadership council has named a new cabinet, weeks after deadly clashes in the country's south and the dissolution of a separatist group.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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The march then diverted left onto Via Benaco, moving away from the Village with clashes beginning when the protest reached Piazzale Corvetto.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The star of the cache was a near-complete Iron Age battle trumpet, or carnyx — used to blare eerie sounds in battle and rally troops against the enemy.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Alain Hamel is credited with catching the giant flatfish, which was pulled through the ice after a two-and-a-half hour battle.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bass, in turn, warned the county’s actions could cause the city to backslide in its fight against homelessness.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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As tensions rise, Ron and Veronica's brutal knock-down fight in the middle of the newsroom is the perfect comic expression of the battle of the sexes.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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