as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
he came home with a black eye from the dustup at the bar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dustup
The second half ground almost to a halt with a few minor dustups for fouls and arguments.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 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
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 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
-
Inconspicuous blows against Denver escalated to skirmishes.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, the religious right profited handsomely from the skirmish.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
The acquisition also created an opportunity for some friendly clubhouse banter, particularly because Lauer spent years trying to beat the Dodgers while pitching for rival organizations, most notably during the teams’ epic clash in last year’s World Series.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Last year, clashes between the Kashmiri group’s supporters and security forces killed several people, including police officers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Losing that battle could cost him more than $100 million, according to the Times.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
-
It is embedded within the city’s historic Jackson Park, a decision that was met with legal battles as an environmental group sued the City of Chicago for allowing a private project to be built on public land.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Attorneys say Gray intervened in fight Attorneys claim Gray was attempting to break up a fight when Tarver pulled out a gun and shot him.—
Erin Jones,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
For Ritter, the elevated bar is almost beside the point, because the SpaceX grants differ fundamentally from the Tesla fight.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
