fracas

[ frey-kuhs, frak-uhs; British frak-ah ]
See synonyms for fracas on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a noisy, disorderly disturbance or fight; riotous brawl; uproar.

Origin of fracas

1
First recorded in 1720–30; <French, from Italian fracasso, derivative of fracassare “to smash,” equivalent to fra- “completely” (from Latin infrā “among”) + cassare “to break”; see cassation

Words Nearby fracas

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How to use fracas in a sentence

  • Fortunately the police then arrived on the scene, and with great difficulty succeeded in putting a stop to the fracas.

    The Gold Bat | P. G. Wodehouse
  • They had been watching the fracas, and understood it as little as we did.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens
  • He wanted no fracas, and he was still hanging doubtful, measuring the distance between them, when—away went his thoughts.

    The Long Night | Stanley Weyman
  • A trifling affair in itself, this village fracas was to have a lasting effect upon the career of Thomas Borrow.

    The Life of George Borrow | Herbert Jenkins
  • But that person must have been on the scene also, probably lurking in the shelter of the bungalow and watching the fracas.

    The Dragon's Secret | Augusta Huiell Seaman

British Dictionary definitions for fracas

fracas

/ (ˈfrækɑː) /


noun
  1. a noisy quarrel; brawl

Origin of fracas

1
C18: from French, from fracasser to shatter, from Latin frangere to break, influenced by quassāre to shatter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012