as in skirmishes
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 dustups
The second half ground almost to a halt with a few minor dustups for fouls and arguments.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
To Washington, the dustups are the sort of tough love the continent needs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
While the midair dustups are trending down after the Federal Aviation Administration adopted a zero-tolerance policy and increased fines almost five years ago, the incidents will end up close to double the three-year average before the pandemic.
—Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 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
And the headline bombshells continue in the who-did-what-when mortgage dustups.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
He and Raiders coach Pete Carroll intervened to keep a couple of dustups from turning into fights, including on special teams.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
To Washington, the dustups are the sort of tough love the continent needs.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
While the midair dustups are trending down after the Federal Aviation Administration adopted a zero-tolerance policy and increased fines almost five years ago, the incidents will end up close to double the three-year average before the pandemic.
—Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 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
And the headline bombshells continue in the who-did-what-when mortgage dustups.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
He and Raiders coach Pete Carroll intervened to keep a couple of dustups from turning into fights, including on special teams.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dustups
Noun
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One of those skirmishes, in fact, involved Childress himself, in 2011 at Kansas Speedway, when the then-65-year-old car owner for an opposing team got into a physical altercation with Busch after an on-track incident.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
-
Inconspicuous blows against Denver escalated to skirmishes.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Noun
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And intense clashes at a New Jersey immigration center about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the World Cup final will be held are a reminder of the tests facing the White House.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
Slovenia’s Soča Valley carries World War I history — a museum in Kobarid covers the clashes between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces — while Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak, offers turquoise lakes at the glacier’s edge.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Unlike so many iconic American fights, held in the halls of Congress or on the streets of major cities, this campaign is being waged for the most part in obscurity.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
This year, the event was more spread out in downtown Lee’s Summit, with the fights concentrated in the entrance to the festival area.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Situated on Route 33 in Manalapan, this state park has preserved the 18th-century landscape of one of the biggest battles of the Revolutionary War, where the Continental Army ambushed the British army along their route from Philadelphia to New York City.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have been open about their respective cancer battles, using their platforms to drive public awareness.—
Stephanie Bridger-Linning,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustups. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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