fracas

noun

ˈfrā-kəs How to pronounce fracas (audio)
Definition of fracasnext
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

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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 From here, a fracas of colors, textures, and patterns permeates every last corner of this 57-room hotel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026 Three of the six people injured in the top-floor fracas were police officers, according to Sgt. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 The fracas in the video, of course, is a distraction from the music that’s playing in the background, ostensibly a song from the record, which is notable since the announcement didn’t come with a track list or a single. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026 South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass, arrested after a fracas outside a Tahoe-area bar last year, was found guilty of misdemeanor harassment in the September 2025 incident, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
  1. skirmish
  2. brawl
  3. clash
  4. altercation
  5. battle
  6. fight
  7. scuffle
  8. dustup
Noun
  • Mark Stephens, of the Howard Kennedy law firm in London, described the hearing as a preliminary skirmish in the broader legal battle.
    — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Ties between the two countries, which had deteriorated sharply following a deadly border skirmish in 2020, have been thawing for more than a year.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of skirmish
Noun
  • LaBeouf faced additional legal turmoil for his arrests in February after his involvement in a Mardi Gras brawl.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Rek Humanoid Robot Fighting League is a fighting organization that hosts humanoid robot versus robot brawls in an undersized MMA cage.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of brawl
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
  • In yet another battle between the states and social media platforms, Florida asked a state judge to order changes on Instagram and Facebook in an effort to protect young users.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • At the same time, Hollister was also engaged in a lengthy courtroom battle with Perry and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over the rights to another property, a Los Feliz convent the singer hoped to turn into a private home.
    — Mickey Rapkin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Producer Kang Jeongwon was struck by the film’s central contradiction, that a fight to protect a family can upend its daily life.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Choudri also made headlines earlier this year after the authority put him on leave after police arrested him at his Folsom home following a fight between his daughter and fiancée.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Now, the sequence is more likely to end in shouted abuse and maybe a scuffle, the video shot on phones and streamed — sometimes live — on platforms like Kick or Facebook.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • At first, the scuffle only involved the original two women, but quickly chaos broke out as smaller fights broke out all over from around a dozen friends or spectators, the report read.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of scuffle
Noun
  • After the dustups, the offense went from taking blows from the defense to delivering some of its own.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
  • The White House’s latest dustup with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) landed with a thud Thursday among his GOP colleagues.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026
Definition of dustup

Browse Nearby Words

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fracas
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Cite this Entry

“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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