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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
  • In the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — where clashes have intensified in recent weeks — data shows at least 45 vessels crossed, including eight tankers and eight cargo ships going to the Gulf of Aden.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The 2026 schedule will be challenging as well with two September clashes with conference contender SMU and a trip to Tuscaloosa to face revenge-minded Alabama.
    — Andre C. Fernandez, Miami Herald, 19 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
  • Arizona, which will experience the biggest cuts, has previously made noises about opting for a legal route and authorities have criticized federal plans for the river.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • However, the loud noises and the large audience left him feeling shy, so zoo-goers only got a small taste of what’s coming in the next few months.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of noises
Verb
  • Meta has swooned as the company fights litigation alleging that the firm seeded addictive behavior in children.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • With only three ingredients—water, sodium chloride, and hypochlorous acid—the on-the-go spritzer soothes skin and fights bacteria.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fights
Noun
  • There were certainly more skirmishes between the Eagles offense and Patriots defense.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Players from the Cowboys and the Saints threw punches during several skirmishes throughout the joint practice, which was conducted in uncommonly hot, humid weather in the coastal town.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 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 24 Aug. 2026.

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