affray

1 of 2

noun

af·​fray ə-ˈfrā How to pronounce affray (audio)
Synonyms of affraynext
1
archaic : fray, brawl
2
chiefly British : a fight in a public place that disturbs the peace

affray

2 of 2

verb

affrayed; affraying; affrays

transitive verb

archaic
: startle, frighten

Synonyms of affray

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Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of affray in a Sentence

Noun the police had to break up an affray that started between fans of the opposing teams
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Brown’s friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray. — CNN Money, 24 July 2026 Brown and Akinlolu both previously pleaded not guilty to those charges, and at a short hearing Friday, the pair pleaded guilty to a charge of affray, while the more serious charges were dropped by the court, the BBC reports. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026
Verb
With Brown’s change of plea also comes his co-defendant, rapper HoodyBaby, real name Omololu Akinlolu, who is now also pleading guilty to affray. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Brown’s co-defendant, his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, a rapper who performs under the name Hoody Baby, was also reported to have pleaded guilty to affray. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for affray

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English afray, affray "fright, consternation, assault, brawl," borrowed from Anglo-French effrei, esfrei, affrai, noun derivative of esfreier, effreier, affraier "to frighten, startle" — more at affray entry 2

Verb

Middle English afraien, affraien "to disturb, frighten, attack, brawl," borrowed from Anglo-French esfreier, effreier, (with prefix alternation) affreer, affraier "to frighten, startle," going back to Gallo-Romance *exfridāre, from Latin ex- ex- entry 1 + Gallo-Romance *-fridāre, derivative from Old Low Franconian *friðu "peace, tranquility," going back to Germanic *friþu- (whence Old English friþ "peace, security, protection," Old Saxon friđu, Old High German fridu, Old Norse friðr), derivative, with the suffix *-tu-, of *fri(j)a- free entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of affray was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

affranchise
affray
affreight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Affray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affray. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

affray

noun
af·​fray
ə-ˈfrā
: a noisy quarrel or fight

Legal Definition

affray

noun
af·​fray ə-ˈfrā How to pronounce affray (audio)
: a fight between two or more people in a public place that disturbs the peace
Etymology

Noun

Middle French affrai, effrai fright, disturbance, from affraier, effreer to terrify

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