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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of melee
Scores of cops responding to a 911 call about a disorderly group swarmed in to break up the wild melee and arrested about 17 boys, officials said.
—
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
In the melee, second base ump Kellen Levy fell backward to the ground.
—Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 22 June 2025
After the game, both teams said missed calls and poor game management by the officials led to the melee at the end.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
By the time all the players could be separated, the officials had handed out 80 minutes of penalty time for the melee.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
In the melee, second base ump Kellen Levy fell backward to the ground.
—Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 22 June 2025
After the game, both teams said missed calls and poor game management by the officials led to the melee at the end.
—Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
By the time all the players could be separated, the officials had handed out 80 minutes of penalty time for the melee.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melee
Noun
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If a person tears off someone’s ear or nose in a bar brawl, jail time is almost certain.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
The Enquirer,
4 July 2025
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There's much to consider about this hypothetical brawl.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Yet Villa were short of cash and the lack of financial headroom brought skirmishes with profit and sustainability rules (PSR).—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
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Could a Stronger Federal System Have Prevented the Texas Disaster and is this even the question to ask? America’s approach to disaster relief has long been one of the recurring skirmishes in the larger political theatre of governance.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melee. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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