melees

noun

plural of melee
as in brawls
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people a verbal disagreement at the football game soon turned into a general melee involving scores of spectators

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 melees There was a bunch of melees on the ice today. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026 College basketball games recently have turned into full-contact melees after hard fouls on the court. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melees
  1. brawls
  2. clashes
Noun
  • 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
Definition of brawls
Noun
  • But occasionally there can be personality clashes or people who other people on the trip find annoying.
    — Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen clashes between security forces, insurgents and drug smugglers.
    — Alex Sundby, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of clashes

Browse Nearby Words

melee
melees
meliorate
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Cite this Entry

“Melees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melees. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on melees

Nglish: Translation of melees for Spanish Speakers

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