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
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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
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Recent Examples of fracas
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
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said a staff member was punched during the on-court fracas.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Bridges didn’t like what Duren did and pointed at him, sparking another fracas when Stewart, who wasn’t even in the game, came off the bench and confronted Bridges, prompting Bridges to tackle him like a linebacker.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
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
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer said a staff member was punched during the on-court fracas.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Bridges didn’t like what Duren did and pointed at him, sparking another fracas when Stewart, who wasn’t even in the game, came off the bench and confronted Bridges, prompting Bridges to tackle him like a linebacker.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
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In a dangerous escalation from cross-border skirmishes, Pakistan launched air strikes at the end of February, targeting major cities including Kabul.—
Harriet Marsden,
TheWeek,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The Peaky Blinders don’t really lose any men at all in this skirmish.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Their rivalry reached its peak in 2018, when the two engaged in an on-court brawl during a matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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Abbott, Patrick brawl over complete ban The debate over a complete ban on THC was one of the most high-profile issues in the Texas Legislature's regular session last year.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Dallas, at least one person was detained after a clash with counter-protesters.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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The massive expansion of enforcement operations drew local resistance from activists, leading to clashes with federal agents and the deaths of residents Good and Pretti during confrontations with ICE and Border Patrol.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Deputies responded on the night of March 20 to an address along 6th Avenue following reports of a verbal altercation at a gathering.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Not for nothing — no one in this altercation is wearing a helmet on their bike!—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At the time of the initial gun battle, the MacEgans were on an afternoon walk through a nearby field.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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So California may be readying to wage a two-front battle — the familiar one against smog, but a second, altogether new one, against an administration determined to let California get smoggy again.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Internally, Mead Johnson conceded it had been beaten in the fight over fortifiers.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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The risk When Manfred took over as MLB commissioner 11 years ago, baseball had long been surpassed by football as the country’s most popular sport and was in an existential fight to stay relevant to younger fans.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Officer Alexander Clifford shot Walker multiple times during a scuffle after a second officer fell down and Walker raised a knife in what investigators said appeared to be an attempt to stab the policeman, the report said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
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Matt Grzelcyk was injured in a first-period scuffle and didn’t return.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Aside from the, well, red-meat aspect of the latest Senate race dustup, what about Talarico's actual message on meat consumption?—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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Cops called to the dustup arrested Brown without incident.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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