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
Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin, a former Brewer who was in the middle of a dustup with Contreras last year, summed up his fiery personality.
—
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The dustup happened Friday with less than a second left in the game.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Auriemma blamed the dustup on Staley not following the proper protocol for a pregame handshake.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The dustup happened Friday with less than a second left in the game.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Auriemma blamed the dustup on Staley not following the proper protocol for a pregame handshake.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dustup
Noun
-
The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Walker, in a 10-pitch skirmish, drew a walk.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In some cases, the panel couldn’t even identify ICE or Border Patrol agents involved in high-profile clashes.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The group of cyclists, who fell after the clash, collided into the side of the SUV and fell onto the pavement.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Voters will probably be bombarded with political ads and arguments from opposing sides as the battle intensifies.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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The Koh-i-Noor then spent 70 years in Afghanistan, where it was passed around by leaders who won bloody battles against one another.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fight, though, kept getting delayed.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
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While Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first Black president and a global icon – having spent 27 years in jail for his role in the fight against apartheid – his wife Winnie, who was arguably just as instrumental in that fight, has been widely maligned.—
Kate Bartlett,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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