1
as in brawls
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
during the play-offs, fans of the opposing teams clashed in the streets in several free-for-alls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hells
a state in which everything is out of order
it was a free-for-all when the doors to the arena opened and the crowd rushed in all at once
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free-for-alls
Noun
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Investigators aren't saying if there's a connection between Henderson's death and brawls at the bar.—
Ross Guidotti,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026 -
The plastic whistles and the car horns and the street brawls and the neighborhoods emptying into streets — the whole communities playing immovable rock to unstoppable federal force.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Smith stays largely mum on the news of the day, be that Kirk’s killing, or ICE raids, or whatever hells await in the coming weeks.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
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The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The result also spotlights conference championships’ awkward fit in the current system, particularly given the fact that conference expansion has led to jumbles atop each league’s standings.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Dec. 2025
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Use your self-cleaning setting regularly to prevent messes from stacking up and getting out of control.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Jan. 2026
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Microfiber towels make simple yet effective cleaning tools against some of your home’s biggest messes.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Before the Lost Weekend, John and Yoko had their New York Year — turning their personal confusions into beautifully vivid moments of rage and pain.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Max wreaks some more havoc after the excursion by gunning it on the tender while towing guests on the tube.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
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Police officers stationed downtown that night quickly apprehended Edgar amid the havoc of the crowd fleeing for their lives.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Free-for-alls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free-for-alls. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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