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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Recent Examples of melee
Arm injuries may decrease melee damage or increase weapon sway.
—
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 June 2025
The early Saturday morning melee on the corner of Fourth Street and Elm Street, which caused a national outcry after being circulated on social media, took place outside a popular nightclub called LoVe and the late-night restaurant next door.
—Greg Wehner , Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2025
González Gutiérrez realized that the melee was taking place in MacArthur Park, directly across the street from the consulate.
—Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 23 July 2025
In the bottom of the ninth, not long after the melee in the top of the inning, Padres closer Robert Suarez hit Ohtani in the right shoulder blade with a 100 mph fastball and was immediately ejected.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 June 2025
The early Saturday morning melee on the corner of Fourth Street and Elm Street, which caused a national outcry after being circulated on social media, took place outside a popular nightclub called LoVe and the late-night restaurant next door.
—Greg Wehner , Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2025
González Gutiérrez realized that the melee was taking place in MacArthur Park, directly across the street from the consulate.
—Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 23 July 2025
In the bottom of the ninth, not long after the melee in the top of the inning, Padres closer Robert Suarez hit Ohtani in the right shoulder blade with a 100 mph fastball and was immediately ejected.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melee
Noun
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The votes follow a recent street brawl that sparked concerns about crime in the city.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
7 Aug. 2025
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One of the victims of a viral brawl that happened in Cincinnati July 26 says she's been forced into hiding after the incident that left her severely injured.—
Adam Sabes , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The only skirmish Wednesday was sparked by some trash-talking between Chuba Hubbard and Jenkins — yes, same Jenkins — and peaked when Jenkins threw a football at Hubbard’s helmet.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Aug. 2025
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Attorney: Separate skirmishes, no 'racist mob' Fox told The Enquirer that national and local voices have mischaracterized what actually happened.—
Kevin Grasha,
The Enquirer,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melee. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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