punch-ups

plural of punch-up, chiefly British

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-ups
Noun
  • And the former running back, who may be suffering from too many blows to the head, shot back that none of those players were drafted by the Steelers.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And in a single season, a high school or college football player absorbs an estimated 600 to 1,000 subconcussive blows.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The war’s repercussions have spread across the Middle East, including conflict in Lebanon and confrontations involving Iran and the United States, while Israel faces a divisive election and questions over security failures.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Three Colombian former soldiers were killed during the confrontations, including a co-leader of the squad.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Infantry has been around since officers figured out how to get soldiers organized instead of fighting in melees like football hooligans on a Saturday night after 12 pints of lager.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Sep. 2026
  • There was a bunch of melees on the ice today.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • These days, oversight hearings have degenerated into partisan brawls.
    — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In defence, his lack of physicality is becoming more glaring in a Premier League that is leaning more heavily than ever into duels, second balls and set pieces.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The noodles, the cheese, the topping, the consistency—duels have been fought over less.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • As Minnesota's Medicaid program broils in the hot seat over a recent round of federal fraud indictments, Indiana's Medicaid program is gaining national attention as a counter-example for its efforts to crack down on program eligibility and waste.
    — Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 29 Dec. 2025
  • This Ninja air-fries, roasts, broils, bakes, and dehydrates—all while using about 80 percent less energy than a regular oven.
    — Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 12 Nov. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Punch-ups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-ups. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster