variants
or British fracas
1
as in skirmishes
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawls
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 fracases
For all of these camps, the fracas at Alpha Genesis offered a new occasion to denounce the waste of taxpayer dollars on unseemly animal experiments.
—
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov, standing behind Hagel, took exception and gave Hagel a forceful cross-check in the back, sending him lunging forward and drawing both teams into a fracas in the corner of the ice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
As the fracas unfolded and players attempted to separate the two, Branch pulled Smith-Schuster’s helmet off.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
That would be Thomas Paine, the man credited with turning the American Revolution from a complicated Colonial fracas into a titanic struggle for the soul of liberty itself.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
The European leg this summer was bookended by developments in a case relating to a 2023 London club fracas in which Brown allegedly assaulted a music producer.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Her willingness, the atmosphere of fracas, her feeling of doom, of having made the wrong decision, had propelled her under the trees.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Sergio Busquets, who hit Vargas in the face during the fracas, and Tomas Aviles, who swung at Sounders players, both got bans and fines from the tournament but were not punished by MLS.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov, standing behind Hagel, took exception and gave Hagel a forceful cross-check in the back, sending him lunging forward and drawing both teams into a fracas in the corner of the ice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
As the fracas unfolded and players attempted to separate the two, Branch pulled Smith-Schuster’s helmet off.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
That would be Thomas Paine, the man credited with turning the American Revolution from a complicated Colonial fracas into a titanic struggle for the soul of liberty itself.
—Matthew Redmond, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
The European leg this summer was bookended by developments in a case relating to a 2023 London club fracas in which Brown allegedly assaulted a music producer.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Her willingness, the atmosphere of fracas, her feeling of doom, of having made the wrong decision, had propelled her under the trees.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Sergio Busquets, who hit Vargas in the face during the fracas, and Tomas Aviles, who swung at Sounders players, both got bans and fines from the tournament but were not punished by MLS.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracases
Noun
-
David Wolf, the executive director of the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Scottsbluff, said experts estimate that as many 10 people died for every mile of the trail ‒ perhaps as many as 20,000 travelers, plus an unknown number of Native Americans killed during skirmishes.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Amid the skirmishes that ensued, federal agents fired a chemical agent toward a protester at near-point-blank range, and security personnel later opened fire on a U-Haul truck that had backed up toward a barrier on the island’s bridge, injuring the driver and an apparent bystander.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The film followed Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls.—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Both are perfectly capable of turning sequences that teeter on the edge of bathos into brawls.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Unfortunately, the launch of the Bearista cup didn’t go as expected, with merchandise shortages nationwide and physical altercations breaking out at some locations, leaving many customers empty-handed.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Other behaviors that commonly cause altercations during flights include shouting, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, and reclining your seat without consideration for the person sitting behind.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Democratic crackup that’s now underway in Washington is distracting the party from a series of brutal fights just ahead that will culminate in next year’s midterms.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Martin's fights, namely her 1996 match against Deirdre Gogarty, brought women's boxing to a whole new audience.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe honors the history of the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fracases.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracases. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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