BRAWLS Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

brawls 1 of 2

noun

plural of brawl

as in clashes

a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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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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

There are brawls over policy that lead to lawsuits, but the main drama is the 2023 school board election, where the Democrats hoped to reverse the Republicans’ 6-3 majority. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 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 Independent Russian media regularly report about returning veterans involved in assaults, drunken brawls and even killings. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 After the recent brawls, both teams released statements stressing the importance of a safe ballpark environment. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 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 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

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

Noun

Likewise, the student protests over the weekend expanded from education to other grievances — and featured dramatic scenes of looting and clashes with police.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
The unrest, fueled by anger over living costs and poor school conditions, included arson, clashes with police and looting; officials say curfews will continue where needed.

— Tom Nouvian, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of clashes

Noun

Images showed altercations between police and protesters, with officers using batons to strike demonstrators, who threw barriers.

— Joseph Wilson, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
The election is taking place amid heightened political tensions in Serbia, with reports of incidents and physical altercations at campaign events.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of altercations

Verb

Thomas superspeeds Katerina to safety and Vision fights Butcherbird, but Butcherbird is faster and stronger.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Water shortages do not often get attention from state lawmakers, and fights over resources can pit rural landowners against cities.

— Lexi Salazar, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of fights

Noun

This leads to even more behind-the-scenes skirmishes laced with character-centric comedy, as opposing factions align.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Ties between the two countries remain strained over their long-running Himalayan border dispute, which erupted into a deadly skirmishes in 2020 that saw soldiers from both sides use rocks and iron rods in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of skirmishes

Noun

The overtones of social significance are adroitly handled and make real sense in an era of tragic international quarrels.

— THR Staff, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Unlike Christian priests and medicine men, who generally command respect, rainmakers are sometimes seen as malicious people who retaliate against whole communities for quarrels with their neighbors.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of quarrels

Noun

The highlight of the play during a montage that was shown on the overhead videoboard set off some of the loudest roars of the night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Maybe the Dodger fans, who showed striking apathy in the playoffs, will return to their post-dynasty roars because of this.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of roars

Browse Nearby Words

brawling

brawls

brawly

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Style

“Brawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawls. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of brawls

noun

verb

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