1
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
the police broke up the fracas in the bar and threw both combatants in the lockup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
police preparing for any fracas that might follow the soccer game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fracas
The couple has been together long enough that their alternating fracas and flirtations have become a familiar rhythm.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision of San Francisco’s ascendant recovery was dealt a blow Thursday when a police officer who protects him was injured in a back-alley fracas in the Tenderloin.
—J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
The fracas has even revived the anti-military sentiment at Google, where a tiny fraction of its employees wrote a letter to the company imploring it to make a similar stand.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s vision of San Francisco’s ascendant recovery was dealt a blow Thursday when a police officer who protects him was injured in a back-alley fracas in the Tenderloin.
—J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2026
The fracas has even revived the anti-military sentiment at Google, where a tiny fraction of its employees wrote a letter to the company imploring it to make a similar stand.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as kids simply having some fun.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
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Forbes was taken down by then-Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay in the skirmish.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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Here are some photos from the second of three skirmishes in this always entertaining Show Me State clash.—
Jeff Rosen,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Budget brawl House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley chats with legislators during the 2025 Georgia Legislative session.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
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Suwałki police said in their release that officers responded to a report of a brawl that happened during a wedding reception held in an apartment in Suwałki.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
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But Giants-Rams might have the greatest blowout potential of these 17 Monday night clashes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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Here are some photos from the second of three skirmishes in this always entertaining Show Me State clash.—
Jeff Rosen,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 May 2026
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The argument escalates into a physical altercation, with the two characters coming to blows in the middle of the newsroom.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Decades-long legal battle The Supreme Court decision to overturn Glossip’s conviction and death sentence last year marked a major turning point in his decades-long legal battle.—
Linh Tran,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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But the frenzied redistricting battle of the past few months — including a congressional map in his home state thrown out by a court after people voted to approve it, and certain elections postponed in Louisiana and Alabama after mail ballots already went out — has done it.—
Miles Parks,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The fight will be contested at welterweight, and White did not clarify how many rounds the bout would be contested at.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Uthmeier has taken a courageous stand, and should finish the fight.—
Kimberly Bird,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Shortly after, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was seen slamming Commanders cornerback Danny Johnson to the ground leading to another scuffle.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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And the United States and Iran had a series of scuffles last week that saw the Islamic Republic fire on American Navy vessels and the United States bomb Iranian ports.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Bart Jansen The latest dustup between the United States and Iran is over the names of bodies of water.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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But even then that dustup lacks a satisfying catfight spark.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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