as in fisticuffs
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Recent Examples of fistfight
In a Senate hearing, in 2023, Mullin challenged the Teamsters president, Sean O’Brien, who was giving testimony, to a fistfight.
—
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
When a screaming match nearly ended in a fistfight—the director was famously into drugs, booze, and gambling at the time—Toberoff quit.
—Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, shows LaBeouf berating actors and crew members, instigating a fistfight and engaging in other aggressive behavior.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The confrontation turned into a fistfight, and as her daughter was walking back into their house, someone shot her in the back.
—Joy Benedict, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fistfight
Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
When a screaming match nearly ended in a fistfight—the director was famously into drugs, booze, and gambling at the time—Toberoff quit.
—Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, shows LaBeouf berating actors and crew members, instigating a fistfight and engaging in other aggressive behavior.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The confrontation turned into a fistfight, and as her daughter was walking back into their house, someone shot her in the back.
—Joy Benedict, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fistfight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fistfight
Noun
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The Yankees started their slugfest in style against the Rays, as Judge’s big fly traveled 429 feet to the batter’s eye at Steinbrenner Field.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
20 Aug. 2025
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Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover Notes: It’s been a slow, ugly slugfest among the backup tight ends to see who can win the No. 3 job.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The confrontation has raised fears of further escalation in a waterway that normally carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.—
Gemma Fox,
Time,
19 Apr. 2026
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Video circulating on social media appears to show a confrontation before the shooting that seemed to involve a large group of people.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The event felt like a throwback to the glitzy, lavish Hollywood premieres that used to take over the town every weekend, but have become scarce since the film business suffered a series of blows that have led to lots of belt-tightening.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
21 Apr. 2026
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The Senate’s quick passage of the 10-day patch was starkly different than the House’s rare overnight session, during which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was dealt two consecutive blows.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The vibe and verve are like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World meets Repo Man, but the material needed an extra punch-up at script stage.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Feb. 2026
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But comics depend on feedback – punch-ups from fellow comedians and reactions from audiences – iterating jokes in the same way lean startups may innovate new products.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Fritznel Jean, 28, a resident of Boston, faces a count of causing mayhem and three counts of assault and battery on a police officer — one causing serious bodily injury — for the melee that took place at Transit Police headquarters the morning of April 10.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
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Gladiatorial combat was not a wild scrum, like the melee in a medieval tourney.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After Jordan Romano blew two save opportunities against the Yankees, right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn gave up two runs in the eighth that ended a scoreless duel.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
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There seems to be a mutual respect between the two sides, who are often complimentary of one another during and after their duels.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Other brewhouse brawls happen at Magnanimous Brewing in Tampa (Havoc And Haze) and Walking Tree Brewery in Vero Beach (Rooted In Chaos), often drawing 300 to 500 visitors, CCW co-owner Dan Ackerman says.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Angels’ Jorge Soler and Braves’ Reynaldo Lopez get a seven-game suspension for their brawl.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Most people aren’t focused on Advent calendars right now — those chocolates hidden under perforated punch-outs to celebrate each day of the season.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
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During the portion of Thursday’s practice open to reporters, the Patriots practiced punch-out drills directly in front of reporters.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fistfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fistfight. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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