brawls 1 of 2

noun

plural of brawl
1
as in clashes
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 altercations
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 noises
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

brawls

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of brawl
as in fights
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 brawls
Noun
Lex and Tesehki are stars of Zeus Network's Baddies reality show where brawls are commonplace. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026 The season 2 trailer follows an earlier teaser trailer, which promised a few other bloody brawls. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 The game had two bench-clearing brawls, the second of which included several fans and 19 ejections including both managers and both replacement managers. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 After the final whistle blew, several brawls broke out between players, and even coaches appeared to get involved. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026 Interspersed with the adventure – and quite a few brawls with bad guys – are flashbacks to Kara’s time on Krypton and adopting Krypto. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 June 2026 Such brawls can ignite without warning, and are among the reasons humans are forbidden by county law to get within 50 feet of the horses. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 June 2026 The beach takeovers typically include brawls and underage drinking. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026 Bond's relative lack of experience and finesse also feeds into the chaos of all-out brawls. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
Verb
As the man brawls with his in-laws, the boy is caught between two worlds, of male rage and female subjection. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawls
  1. clashes
  2. altercations
  3. noises
  4. fights
  5. skirmishes
  6. quarrels
  7. roars
  8. bickers
Noun
  • The Premier League’s 2026-27 handbook contains 29 rules about ‘Players’ Identification and Strip’, spanning topics like sponsorship, shirt numbers, captain’s armbands, and preventing kit clashes with opponents and match officials.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Police special forces responded with flash grenades during the clashes, which officials said lasted until the early hours of Sunday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of clashes
Noun
  • Simple assault are altercations and incidents that don’t involve weapons or serious injuries, including domestic incidents.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In court filings, ex-wife Emily Moreno alleged that Miller has repeatedly had physical and verbal altercations with her attorney, Andrew Zashin, after recent court hearings in an ongoing custody battle.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of altercations
Noun
  • McGee joked with the crowd that their most similar qualities were distress around loud noises and mild anxiety.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Anna Watson’s lighting keeps much of the house just dim enough to make the imagination dangerous, while Tony winner Gareth Fry’s sound design surrounds the audience with ominous noises whose sources aren’t always immediately clear.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of noises
Verb
  • Rodriguez has long touted himself as being someone who fights big corporations.
    — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Two fights Washington has been building toward this year came to a head Monday.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fights
Noun
  • Its outcome will be a major milestone in the decades-long political skirmishes over CEQA.
    — Dan Walters, Oc Register, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In 1988, for instance, Khomeini finally agreed to end his war with Iraq after the United States began engaging Iranian naval ships in direct skirmishes, leading him to fear that Reagan might formally align with Saddam Hussein’s regime.
    — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of skirmishes
Noun
  • On the new series, some House of Stassi castmembers raised their quarrels with Maloney joining their cast.
    — McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Candi is the family mediator Like any father-daughter coaching dynamic, Corey and Coco have had their fair share of quarrels on the tennis court.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
Definition of quarrels
Noun
  • Exactly 60 years after Williams’ induction speech on the steps of the Hall of Fame, Baker walked into the Hall and was greeted by the loud roars of another Boston Red Sox legend, David Ortiz.
    — Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
  • Johnson’s first budget made the CARE pilot permanent and doubled staff positions in 2024, to roars of approval from his progressive base.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
Definition of roars
Verb
  • The pope, played by Samora la Perdida, is a mincing oaf who bickers with Galas about the value of translating Wagner.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of bickers

Browse Nearby Words

brawling
brawls
brawly
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Cite this Entry

“Brawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawls. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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