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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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
-
Some people taking part in recent walkouts and demonstrations have encountered police skirmish lines, arrests.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
As the hearings continued, Welch and Cohn engaged in heated legal skirmishes.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
What then focused his mind was the clash within the United States—and by extension the rest of the West.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The immigration crackdown has featured a cycle of escalation in which armed officers are met by angry protesters, leading to dramatic clashes.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Britain had split the Chagos Islands from Mauritius before that colony gained independence, something that has been a source of diplomatic friction as well as multiple legal battles with locals who were evicted.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Arsenal is challenging for the titl while Tottenham — under new coach Igor Tudor — is in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
How much were you involved in choreographing the fight scenes?—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
My record is one of an effective lawmaker who never backs down from a fight.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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