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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 melee
In the ensuing melee, she was hit in the head with a metal water bottle — causing injuries so severe that she was hospitalized, and later died.
—
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
With two cameramen capturing the melee, Ropp had a mix of his cast, crew and whoever the hell else was around join in the game.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Dominic Miller, who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge as part of a plea deal, was among at least six people to start shooting in the melee that sent players, city officials and hundreds of fans scrambling for cover, according to court records.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
Rasmus Dahlin in the head and neck during a bizarre second-period melee in the Sabres’ 5-1 win Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melee
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
With two cameramen capturing the melee, Ropp had a mix of his cast, crew and whoever the hell else was around join in the game.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Dominic Miller, who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge as part of a plea deal, was among at least six people to start shooting in the melee that sent players, city officials and hundreds of fans scrambling for cover, according to court records.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
Rasmus Dahlin in the head and neck during a bizarre second-period melee in the Sabres’ 5-1 win Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melee
brawl
Noun
-
Lueders eventually co-founded Few and the Proud, the band that would evolve into Convicted and finally Harm’s Way, transitioning from power violence toward brawl-ready hardcore punk, with various strands of metal thrown in from one album to the next.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Jarred Cavan died of his injuries after being stabbed during a brawl just outside Milpitas High School in Santa Clara County on Tuesday afternoon.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melee. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
