brawl
Americannoun
-
brawls
plural
-
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)
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brawls,
present (3rd person singular)
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brawled,
past participle, past
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brawling
present participle
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.
Synonym Usage
See disorder.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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brawlsimple
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brawlssimple
-
have brawledperfect
-
has brawledperfect
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am brawlingprogressive
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are brawlingprogressive
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is brawlingprogressive
-
have been brawlingperfect progressive
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has been brawlingperfect progressive
Past
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brawledsimple
-
had brawledperfect
-
was brawlingprogressive
-
were brawlingprogressive
-
had been brawlingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
According to the referee's report, a brawl broke out in the second half after Mamores' Davi taunted the opposition bench during celebrations when his side went 3-1 up.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Is it a rift, kerfuffle, brawl or hairline fracture?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In an interview, Bonta said the states weren’t interested in potential remedies or asset spinoffs to avoid a nasty courtroom brawl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the tournament final, in a foul-heavy match that ended with a brawl on the pitch and the Argentine squad turning its back during the trophy ceremony.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
He automatically checked the inhabitants of the room, a habit that had saved the detectives from more than one barroom brawl.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
In the 1920s, brawls between Italian Blackshirts and workers helped Benito Mussolini position his fascist movement as restorers of order.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2026
His combative streak shows in his frequent brawls with doomers on social media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
After the teen told a female officer about the two coordinated brawls, he was transferred to solitary confinement, the suit alleged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
Matthew Tkachuk, a Team USA player who was among those involved in the brawls, told reporters afterwards that his team needed to deliver a message that "It's our time right now."
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025
We put headphones on when Didu's belting out songs about red roads, barroom brawls, magnolia blossoms, and lonely cowboys.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
They’d given everyone a taste of their border feud last year with the NHL’s Four Nations tournament, where they’d brawled and battled before Canada finally settled it on the ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
This isn’t the first time Whole Foods’ parent company has brawled aggressively with organized labor.
From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2025
Accentuating the anger was that Graveman was going to the detested, division-leading Astros, who the Mariners almost brawled with the night before.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2023
On multiple occasions, Councilman Kevin de León has brawled with his critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
He wrote a confidential memorandum to the police, instructing them to look out for rebellious young people who brawled, made mischief, and violated police orders.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Fight choreography was made to look more like brawling, with Chau noting performers dialed back “strong shapes, motions and lines” into characters that are “a little bit more broken down” to underscore the noir aesthetic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
According to legend, it took rough and rugged characters to tame the early American frontier: men like Daniel Boone, the trailblazer, or Mike Fink, the brawling river boatman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Curran’s brawling with headquarters for more protection at that time was noted and appreciated by Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Now, Gude and his gaggle of anti-Scientology protesters are brawling publicly with the organization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
The poet Carl Sandburg had sung its praises just two years before: “Hog Butcher for the World, / Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat..../ Stormy, husky, brawling, / City of the Big Shoulders.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
