brawl
Americannoun
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an angry, rough, noisy fight, especially one engaged in under the influence of alcohol.
The wild, free-for-all western brawl in the saloon lasts two full minutes and constitutes the movie’s opening scene.
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Slang. a large, noisy party.
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Obsolete. a bubbling or roaring noise; a clamor.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a loud disagreement or fight
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slang an uproarious party
verb
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to quarrel or fight noisily; squabble
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(esp of water) to flow noisily
noun
Usage
What does brawl mean? A brawl is a fight, especially a big one involving a lot of people. Brawl can also be used as a verb meaning to fight or to participate in a brawl. A person who does this or who’s known for fighting in general can be called a brawler. Much less commonly, brawl can also be used as a slang term for a wild party. Other rare senses of brawl include its use as a noun referring to a loud, bubbling noise, like water flowing in a stream, or as a verb meaning to make such a noise. Example: Police are investigating the post-concert brawl that left three people in the hospital.
Related Words
See disorder.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brawl
First recorded in 1350–1400; (verb) Middle English brawlen, brallen “to raise a clamor, quarrel, boast”; of uncertain origin; (noun) Middle English braule, brall, derivative of the verb
Explanation
A brawl is a noisy fight in a crowd. If the food fight in the cafeteria gets seriously out of hand, you might find yourself in an all-out brawl. Brawl can also be used as a verb—people who are fighting can be said to be brawling, whether or not they are using their fists. Similarly, you can use the word to suggest that a war of words is rough, in the manner of a bar fight—the bride and her mother were engaged in a brawl over the guest list for the big day.
Vocabulary lists containing brawl
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the February 28, 2026, print edition as 'China Wins the Pentagon-Anthropic Brawl'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
This episode of Born To Brawl documents their journey to this point, including guidance from their dad, and support from the McCracken family and rapper Jaykae.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2023
He has also found other ways to occupy his time in recent days, playing the video game Storybook Brawl, though less than he usually does, he said.
From New York Times • Nov. 14, 2022
“That Backyard Brawl, that’s where the beast lives,” Gary Stills said.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 30, 2022
Fair-Oaks lawn comes down to the little river Brawl, and on the other side were the plantations and woods of Clavering Park.
From Boys and girls from Thackeray by Sweetser, Kate Dickinson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
