1
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
the police broke up the fracas in the bar and threw both combatants in the lockup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
police preparing for any fracas that might follow the soccer game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fracas
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision of San Francisco’s ascendant recovery was dealt a blow Thursday when a police officer who protects him was injured in a back-alley fracas in the Tenderloin.
—
J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
The fracas has even revived the anti-military sentiment at Google, where a tiny fraction of its employees wrote a letter to the company imploring it to make a similar stand.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Jonny Fairplay went from being banned from all official Survivor events (the result of a Vanuatu finale after-party fracas) to back on the show for Micronesia.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
The fracas has even revived the anti-military sentiment at Google, where a tiny fraction of its employees wrote a letter to the company imploring it to make a similar stand.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Jonny Fairplay went from being banned from all official Survivor events (the result of a Vanuatu finale after-party fracas) to back on the show for Micronesia.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
-
Walker, in a 10-pitch skirmish, drew a walk.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
-
After a skirmish in Lexington the British forces faced a larger band of Minutemen in Concord.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One of the defendant’s friends had a conversation with Velasquez that erupted into a brawl before the defendant charged at the victim and opened fire, the prosecutor said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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The dining area of a Texas Whataburger played host to another viral brawl over the weekend.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
City will have one eye on clinching the FA Cup trophy for the third time in eight years, while Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final clashes with Atletico Madrid will take plenty out of them physically and mentally.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The dog-waste donnybrook was similar to another recent clash in Brooklyn that saw a 75-year-old grandmother jumped and beaten for complaining that a dog walker was not cleaning up the pooch’s poop.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The altercation was also caught on video, Kenny said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Though the arrest took place in 2023, the incident made headlines again in March after a video of the altercation — showing Paul yelling, putting Mortensen in a headlock and throwing chairs at him while a child could be heard crying — was published by TMZ.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Avoid ego battles with parents and bosses.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Find out for yourself with its chaotic four-on-four battles.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At one point, the crew shot a scene in which Whalen’s character joins a bar fight, shouting invectives at a hapless extra before pummelling him to the ground.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Denver police on Thursday arrested a 28-year-old man who investigators said shot and killed another man in a fight near South Broadway and West Maple Avenue, department officials said in a news release.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The physical series turned chippy late in Game 1 and that carried over to the start of Game 2 with a pair of scuffles, each involving more than a half-dozen players, breaking out 12 seconds apart midway through the first period.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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Right after Duchene and Rantanen combined on the power-play goal, another scuffle broke out in the corner and both of them ended up in the penalty box.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The second half ground almost to a halt with a few minor dustups for fouls and arguments.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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