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
Steer ended up getting plunked on Thursday, retribution for his Jomboy-worthy fracas.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Nnaji grabbed De’Anthony Melton’s jersey in the fracas.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
But the fracas after the final buzzer didn’t dim the lights as the Hawks secured their 10th straight win.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 17 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Nnaji grabbed De’Anthony Melton’s jersey in the fracas.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
But the fracas after the final buzzer didn’t dim the lights as the Hawks secured their 10th straight win.
—Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 17 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
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
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At Bunker HIll, historical displays are accompanied by panels with quotes that reflect on the monument and the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major skirmish of the Revolutionary War.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Remember the legal brawl CEO Elon Musk faced over his $56 billion moonshot pay package at Tesla?—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
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Shia LaBeouf pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of simple battery and was sentenced to probation for a Mardi Gras brawl in New Orleans.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The acquisition also created an opportunity for some friendly clubhouse banter, particularly because Lauer spent years trying to beat the Dodgers while pitching for rival organizations, most notably during the teams’ epic clash in last year’s World Series.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Last year, clashes between the Kashmiri group’s supporters and security forces killed several people, including police officers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Police found that two adult men had been involved in an altercation when one of the men struck the other multiple times, authorities said.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
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Jurors returned their verdict after several days of testimony from dozens of witnesses, including students who saw the altercation, investigators who handled the case, medical experts, and character witnesses called by the defense.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Mexico dominated, winning the possession battle 60% to 40%.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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The Patriots had goals from Maya Feloney and Ava Bridgman, but the possession battle was firmly in NDA’s favor with the score being 5-2.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Attorneys say Gray intervened in fight Attorneys claim Gray was attempting to break up a fight when Tarver pulled out a gun and shot him.—
Erin Jones,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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For Ritter, the elevated bar is almost beside the point, because the SpaceX grants differ fundamentally from the Tesla fight.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Noun
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In reality, little was lost in the scuffle over the conceptual work.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
1 June 2026
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The scuffle led to a heated exchange in a group chat later in the night before Valle and his friends went to the house party on Laurel Glenn Drive.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2026
Noun
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In February, fans watched a dustup between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets.—
Shakeia Taylor,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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Bart Jansen The latest dustup between the United States and Iran is over the names of bodies of water.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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