brawl 1 of 2

noun

Definition of brawlnext
1
as in clash
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl

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2
as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting

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3
as in roar
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound we could hear the brawl of the river rapids ahead of us before we could actually see them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

brawl

2 of 2

verb

ˈbrȯl How to pronounce brawl (audio)
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows

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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 brawl
Noun
Verbal fights between the two women devolved into a physical brawl. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 The video shows one of the men holding a gun during the brawl. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
Massive fights erupted at the Wisconsin State Fair during its chaotic closing hours Sunday, with viral video showing people in crowds throwing punches and brawling as police moved in to break up the mayhem. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026 The perils of brawling with a bin Professor Tonge puts the likelihood of an upset at around 30%. — Mark Rice-Oxley, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawl
  1. clash
  2. altercation
  3. roar
  4. bicker
  5. melee
  6. dispute
  7. noise
  8. fight
Noun
  • After spending some time playing in a (very cool) makeshift stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Northwestern Wildcats finally christened the new Ryan Field in an important Big Ten clash with Penn State.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The Buffs and the Blue Raiders are undefeated in district play and will face off in a high-stakes Week 7 clash.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of clash
Noun
  • One of Bonner's friends appeared to get into an argument with the third man as the second male friend attempted to hold him back from an altercation.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago Alderman Michelle Harris said at Sunday's community vigil that the suspect had allegedly gotten into an altercation with staff at a wireless store in the Chatham neighborhood just before the fatal stabbing, WLS reported.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of altercation
Noun
  • The roar of the engines vibrated through the fuselage, rattling bones and teeth, while supply crates shifted and groaned with every lurch.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, the structure crumbled in a roar of broken concrete and a cloud of dust.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of roar
Verb
  • Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • While the boys bicker over stickball rules, old-timers Keith Hernandez, Willie Randolph and Tom Seaver argue from a stoop.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • The fifth man had escaped during the melee; he was found dead of his injuries a half mile away.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The encampment, which included Jewish student participants, was attacked by counterprotesters in an overnight melee that spring.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of melee
Noun
  • Seaver’s dispute with Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager and the sole manager of She’s Alive LLC, first spilled into public view when Nozell sued him last month and sought the restraining order.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Sentara Health, a hospital system in Virginia with more than $14 billion of revenue, recently went through a contract dispute with Anthem, the health plan owned by Elevance Health.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • The song stays coiled, neither tightening its grip nor exploding into noise.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The company disputes that 27 odor complaints since 2024 and 67 videos of work being done outside permitted hours referenced in a city staff report represent actual violations of the city’s noise, odor and operating hour rules.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of noise
Verb
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight

Browse Nearby Words

bravura
brawl
brawled
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Cite this Entry

“Brawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawl. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on brawl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about brawl

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