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
Four people inside the bar heard the melee, stepped outside to help, and Cashaw, the complaint continues, then opened fire at least 20 times striking all five victims.
—
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The beating victim, Nicky, runs when the melee starts.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Three members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), including a pregnant woman, were injured in the melee, with one suffering a stroke, CNN’s Serbian affiliate N1 reported.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
Some demons fire hellish blasts at you while others leap in with hard-hitting melee attacks.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
The beating victim, Nicky, runs when the melee starts.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Three members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), including a pregnant woman, were injured in the melee, with one suffering a stroke, CNN’s Serbian affiliate N1 reported.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
Some demons fire hellish blasts at you while others leap in with hard-hitting melee attacks.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melee
Noun
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In that time frame, several youths suffered drug overdoses, a teen was stabbed in the eye and 30 probation officers were indicted for allegedly organizing or allowing brawls between youths.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
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Following the brawl, which occurred in the Galveston, Texas, cruise terminal, several people were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Past skirmishes with Pakistan had allowed Modi to construct a triumphalist narrative of strength that played to his domestic audience.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
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Fever star Caitlin Clark and Reese got into a skirmish during the game, which sparked boos from the home crowd.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melee. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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