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
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
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The May 9 event was shaken the day before by a political skirmish that, for the first time, spilled into the proceedings.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
10 May 2026
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Reigns tried to avoid it during their skirmish on Monday.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
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But Giants-Rams might have the greatest blowout potential of these 17 Monday night clashes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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Here are some photos from the second of three skirmishes in this always entertaining Show Me State clash.—
Jeff Rosen,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Decades-long legal battle The Supreme Court decision to overturn Glossip’s conviction and death sentence last year marked a major turning point in his decades-long legal battle.—
Linh Tran,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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But the frenzied redistricting battle of the past few months — including a congressional map in his home state thrown out by a court after people voted to approve it, and certain elections postponed in Louisiana and Alabama after mail ballots already went out — has done it.—
Miles Parks,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The fight will be contested at welterweight, and White did not clarify how many rounds the bout would be contested at.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Uthmeier has taken a courageous stand, and should finish the fight.—
Kimberly Bird,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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