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
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Recent Examples of melee
Of course, Ohio State didn’t help its cause by losing the rivalry game to Michigan and having a postgame melee break out on its home field.
—
Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
Vinicius Jr laughed from the sidelines as assistant Francesco Mauri took him away from the melee.
—Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Rozier back: Guard Terry Rozier was back for the Heat after serving a one-game NBA suspension for his role in Sunday night’s melee in the road victory over the Houston Rockets.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
By the time the melee had ended, at least 35 people were injured, New Orleans police and city officials said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for melee 
Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
Vinicius Jr laughed from the sidelines as assistant Francesco Mauri took him away from the melee.
—Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Rozier back: Guard Terry Rozier was back for the Heat after serving a one-game NBA suspension for his role in Sunday night’s melee in the road victory over the Houston Rockets.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025
By the time the melee had ended, at least 35 people were injured, New Orleans police and city officials said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for melee
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Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melee. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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