Synonyms of melee

melee

noun

ˈmā-ˌlā 

as in brawl

a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people

a verbal disagreement at the football game soon turned into a general melee involving scores of spectators

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brawl
• altercation
• clash
• skirmish
• affray
• fracas
• rough-and-tumble
• ruckus
• row
• fray
• broil
• scuffle
• ruction
• free-for-all
• fisticuffs
• combat
• donnybrook
• tussle
• battle
• scrimmage
• quarrel
• horseplay
• conflict
• argument
• dispute
• spat
• contest
• struggle
• tiff
• squabble
• roughhousing
• scrap
• wrangle
• handgrips
• hassle
• kickup

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of melee

Police arrested more than 400 people after a melee in which businesses were smashed and goods stolen, and fireworks were dispatched in crowds. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Mtula Payton didn’t cause that melee to occur. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

Chaos erupted after activist and opponent to Henyard Jedidiah Brown called the former supervisor an expletive, leading both Woods and Henyard to enter the melee. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026

The melee fighting is just as good as the clever gunplay. — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 17 June 2026

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