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
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
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
-
Activists literally or figuratively flying the antifa flag have long been among the subset of people who go to protests to destroy property and get into violent skirmishes with far-right protestors (like the Proud Boys).—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Law enforcement officers have deployed tear gas and pepper balls in skirmishes with protesters.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deadly clashes erupted along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, marking a new low in the countries’ ties since the Taliban retook power in 2021.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters — Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both sides said on Sunday, in the most serious fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With potential regulatory fights to come, this is a potential boon and is a way of circumventing content quotas and other obligations that European countries want to establish.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Near the entrance, carvings of boar hunts, bear fights and acrobats recall the spectacle that once filled the arena.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some Virginia elections have turned into battles over which candidate will be toughest on data centers; others elections have already been lost over them.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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As things get predictably dark for the struggling couple – and for some unlucky flies that get to experience her rage first-hand – their battles are frequently hilarious.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dustups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustups. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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