1
as in clash
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in roar
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound
we could hear the brawl of the river rapids ahead of us before we could actually see them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of brawl
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
There are multiple investigations into a brawl between young hockey players during intermission of an AHL game on Saturday.
—Rob Rossi, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Michigan upset Ohio State 13-10, and the two teams brawled after the game when Michigan players tried planting their flag on the Buckeyes' field.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Noun
Back in the arena, the security guards still couldn’t get the fight under control, and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis followed the brawl back toward the ring.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
There are multiple investigations into a brawl between young hockey players during intermission of an AHL game on Saturday.
—Rob Rossi, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
The cabinets inhaled quarters as four players teamed up to brawl their way to save Maggie Simpson or battle Shredder across New York.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Michigan upset Ohio State 13-10, and the two teams brawled after the game when Michigan players tried planting their flag on the Buckeyes' field.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawl
Noun
-
Tempers flared during a recent pair of NBA games, and both contests were marred by tense clashes between players.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for 4-3 before securing the victory to add to her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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On Tuesday, Buda Mayor Lee Urbanovsky said city police were working with Hays CISD to collect witness statements and video evidence from students who were present during the altercation.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
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But there is a time and a place, and becoming embroiled in a physical altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before leading your country in an international is neither the right time nor the right place.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Dent raced up the court, kicked to Perry, who dribbled into a 3-pointer, and turned to the crowd, celebrating with a flex and a roar.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
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The heavyweight was facing Kingsley Ibeh on Saturday night when Ibeh landed a flurry of shots in the second round that caused a roar from the crowd, despite not looking particularly hard.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ho Jin's mom and self proclaimed dad bicker over his grandfather's books.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Much of the comedy in this action-comedy arrives via barbed exchanges between the constantly bickering James and Jonny.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Game director Cary Trzcinski made sure emotions did not boil over and lead to a melee, sticking his thick body and fierce game face into one brewing moment in the second half.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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Minneapolis police said Monday a federal agent was injured during the melee, and that a Minneapolis officer who was inside of the hotel attempted to provide aid to the agent.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The ruling advances Chiles toward resolving a dispute marked by errors that cost her the floor exercise bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Games.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The company added programmers’ streaming applications in Spectrum’s expanded basic packages to lower churn and had a slight bump in signups when Disney channels were unavailable for YouTube TV subscribers during a recent carriage dispute.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There’s also the noise issue, and the somewhat awkward reality of spinning rotors whirring dangerously above people in public places.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The neighborhood/area Uptown Sedona sits just above L’Auberge, keeping guests sheltered from traffic and tourists, but construction noise from buildings along 89A can filter down to the rooms.—
Asonta Benetti,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead innocent and fight the charges in Minnesota.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawl. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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