affray

1 of 2

noun

af·fray ə-ˈfrā

Synonyms of affray

archaic : fray, brawl

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

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

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.

Noun

Merritt was charged with disorderly conduct — affray, which is a first-degree misdemeanor. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026 Lil Tjay was briefly jailed on suspicion of misdemeanor disorderly conduct-affray before he was released on $500 bond. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026 All of the suspects face charges of affray and disrupting court proceedings, while the juvenile faces additional charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 22 May 2026 Tione Jayden Merritt, 24, was taken into custody on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct-affray, aka a fight. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 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

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

affranchise

affray

affreight

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Affray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affray. Accessed 7 Jul. 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

: 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

affray

noun

verb

Synonyms of affray

Examples of affray in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

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