melees

noun

plural of melee
as in brawls
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of melees There was a bunch of melees on the ice today. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 College basketball games recently have turned into full-contact melees after hard fouls on the court. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melees
  1. brawls
  2. clashes
Noun
  • The Balboa Peninsula, which Stapleton represents on the council, has historically been an infamous hot spot for public drinking, disruptive parties and brawls throughout the summer and especially during the Fourth of July.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Interspersed with the adventure – and quite a few brawls with bad guys – are flashbacks to Kara’s time on Krypton and adopting Krypto.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 June 2026
Definition of brawls
Noun
  • Historic World Cup clashes, controversial refereeing calls, viral locker-room videos and a bombastic TV rant have deepened resentment, turning Argentina–Mexico tensions into a proxy battle over class, race and nationalism.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Others, like the Charlie's Angels set imbroglio, stemmed from personality clashes and behind-the-scenes behavior.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Definition of clashes

Browse Nearby Words

melee
melees
meliorate
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Cite this Entry

“Melees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melees. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on melees

Nglish: Translation of melees for Spanish Speakers

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