as in brawls
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 melees
College basketball games recently have turned into full-contact melees after hard fouls on the court.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melees
Noun
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The Avs and Stars haven’t had games devolve into all-out brawls like Tampa Bay and Florida have.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
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The change had come following years of youth disturbances, including major brawls and nearby shootings.—
Andrew Adeolu,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Polls give Magyar's Tisza party a double-digit lead with Hungarians weary of years of corruption accusations, clashes with the EU and economic stagnation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
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His tactics, including throwing gas canisters into crowds of protesters, led to a lawsuit in Chicago and clashes with other administration officials.—
Julia Ainsley,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melees. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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