slugfests

noun

plural of slugfest
as in fisticuffs

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slugfests
  1. blows
  2. melees
  3. duels
  4. confrontations
  5. brawls
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
Definition of blows
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
Definition of melees
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
Definition of duels
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
Definition of confrontations
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
Definition of brawls
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

slugfest
slugfests
sluggard
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Cite this Entry

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

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