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

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

Nicolas Cage headlines through the Nick Cage Event Pass running June 25 to July 23, whose free track hands out the AN-94 assault rifle and Executioner's Duet melee weapon. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.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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