dustup

noun

ˈdəst-ˌəp How to pronounce dustup (audio)
Definition of dustupnext
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 In February, fans watched a dustup between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets. — Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Bart Jansen The latest dustup between the United States and Iran is over the names of bodies of water. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026 But even then that dustup lacks a satisfying catfight spark. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026 Hometown's owner, Rodney Ballance, dropped out of a state House of Representatives race after the dustup. — Arkansas Online, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dustup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dustup
  1. skirmish
  2. clash
  3. battle
  4. fight
Noun
  • This leads to even more behind-the-scenes skirmishes laced with character-centric comedy, as opposing factions align.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ties between the two countries remain strained over their long-running Himalayan border dispute, which erupted into a deadly skirmishes in 2020 that saw soldiers from both sides use rocks and iron rods in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of skirmish
Noun
  • The social media clash also comes as El-Sayed faces criticism over his responses to questions about Iran’s regime and Islamist organizations.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In a clash of the top two teams in FIFA’s rankings, played before a sellout crowd of 19,220, the visitors left the home side shell-shocked with two spectacular strikes.
    — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of clash
Noun
  • In yet another battle between the states and social media platforms, Florida asked a state judge to order changes on Instagram and Facebook in an effort to protect young users.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • At the same time, Hollister was also engaged in a lengthy courtroom battle with Perry and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over the rights to another property, a Los Feliz convent the singer hoped to turn into a private home.
    — Mickey Rapkin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Producer Kang Jeongwon was struck by the film’s central contradiction, that a fight to protect a family can upend its daily life.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Choudri also made headlines earlier this year after the authority put him on leave after police arrested him at his Folsom home following a fight between his daughter and fiancée.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight

Browse Nearby Words

dusts
dustup
dustups
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All