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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fracas
Inside a classroom, several dozen people ranging in age from 14 to about 70 faced off against three trainers playing ICE agents, in a loud fracas that lasted several minutes.
—
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Balboa Park – and this is not going to be about the pay-for-parking fracas – boasts many iconic buildings, and among them is the San Diego Museum of Art with its Spanish Colonial Revival façade.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Davos won’t deliver a conclusion to these conflicts, which in any case pale in comparison to the fracas over Greenland and NATO.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
In the latest fracas over the burgeoning market for weight loss drugs, a compounding pharmacy has filed a lawsuit accusing Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk of using anticompetitive tactics to prevent it from serving patients, STAT writes.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Balboa Park – and this is not going to be about the pay-for-parking fracas – boasts many iconic buildings, and among them is the San Diego Museum of Art with its Spanish Colonial Revival façade.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Davos won’t deliver a conclusion to these conflicts, which in any case pale in comparison to the fracas over Greenland and NATO.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
In the latest fracas over the burgeoning market for weight loss drugs, a compounding pharmacy has filed a lawsuit accusing Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk of using anticompetitive tactics to prevent it from serving patients, STAT writes.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
Noun
-
Instead, an arcane academic skirmish has devolved into open hostilities.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, in Milan, a skirmish broke out between police and demonstrators at the end of a protest that police said, according to The Associated Press, initially numbered 10,000 and was peaceful.—
Denny Alfonso,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Chaotic video shows the moment a midair brawl erupted between passengers on a Jet2 flight bound for the United Kingdom on Thursday, reportedly forcing the plane to make a diversion.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The cause of the brawl was not immediately clear Saturday.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
What then focused his mind was the clash within the United States—and by extension the rest of the West.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The immigration crackdown has featured a cycle of escalation in which armed officers are met by angry protesters, leading to dramatic clashes.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, with many on the court at this point, Stewart came rushing off the Pistons’ bench to confront Bridges, throwing a punch as their altercation became the focal point of the madness on the hardwood.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
At that point, an altercation ensued, and everyone was eventually forced outside, and the staff shut the door, according to court documents.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The star of the cache was a near-complete Iron Age battle trumpet, or carnyx — used to blare eerie sounds in battle and rally troops against the enemy.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Alain Hamel is credited with catching the giant flatfish, which was pulled through the ice after a two-and-a-half hour battle.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
How much were you involved in choreographing the fight scenes?—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
My record is one of an effective lawmaker who never backs down from a fight.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Though the two companies have been long-term rivals, the Super Bowl ad was one of the first times the scuffle was so public.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The scuffle hasn't appeared to damage relations, though.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Nvidia’s dustup with OpenAI appeared to have hit a nerve, causing the former’s stock price to continue its weeks-long plunge, dropping almost nine percent over the last five days.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The dustup comes as Australia’s parliament prepares to consider harsher speech laws devised in the wake of the Bondi massacre.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
