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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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
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
Noun
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Viral videos of onboard brawls contributed to the airline’s notoriety.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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They were called after multiple brawls involving as many as 100 people, most of whom were juveniles, broke out at the park.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Not to worry, soccer aficionados — there’s an abundance of high-stakes clashes to tide you over until then.—
John Riker,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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Be aware of your short fuse as Mars clashes with Jupiter.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melees. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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