brawl

[ brawl ]

/ brɔl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brawl ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a noisy quarrel, squabble, or fight.

a bubbling or roaring noise; a clamor.

Slang. a large, noisy party.

verb (used without object)

to quarrel angrily and noisily; wrangle.

to make a bubbling or roaring noise, as water flowing over a rocky bed.

Nearby words

bravery, bravissimo, bravo, bravura, braw, brawl, brawley, brawn, brawny, braxton hicks contractions, braxton hicks sign

Origin of brawl

1350–1400; (v.) Middle English brawlen, brallen to raise a clamor, quarrel, boast; of uncertain origin; (noun) Middle English braule, brall, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR brawl

1 wrangle, row, tumult, affray, altercation, rumpus.

4 squabble, fight, bicker, row.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brawl ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

brawl·er, nounbrawl·y, adjectiveout·brawl, verb (used with object)un·brawl·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See disorder.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brawl

Good news: so is this grainy TMZ footage of a Bieber/Bloom Ibiza brawl.
Solange Smacks Jay Z, Legolas Slaps Bieber, and the Biggest Celebrity Feuds of the Year|Amy Zimmerman|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If anyone could have stopped the Everest brawl of April 27, 2013, it was Arnot.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling|Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just think of all the fun the political media will have with another Republican-on-Republican brawl, groans Fleischer.
Lean In, Liz Cheney, but Please Don’t Win That Senate Seat|Michelle Cottle|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In 2000, Lewis was involved in a brawl that resulted in the stabbing deaths of two men.
Football, Crime, and Allegations Against Aaron Hernandez|Ben Teitelbaum|June 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When Happy his taunted, his game suffers, and Barker is none too pleased, leading to a brawl for the ages.
21 Best Celebrity Self-Parodies in Honor of ‘This is the End’|Marlow Stern|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Days passed by without a brawl, and Bland's valley saw more successive hours of peace than ever before.
The Lone Star Ranger|Zane Grey
And a brawl there was, without any error, except of the men who hit their friends, and those who defended their enemies.
Lorna Doone|R. D. Blackmore
At first I thought that it was some brawl between peasants in their cups, and I left them to settle their own affairs.
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard|Arthur Conan Doyle
Censure not any if he be of grave repute; stand not up to take part in a brawl; have nought to do with a madman or a wicked one.
The High Deeds of Finn and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland|T. W. Rolleston
In a moment a brawl began in the crowd, none could say how or where.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for brawl (1 of 2)

brawl

/ (brɔːl) /

noun

a loud disagreement or fight

US slang an uproarious party

verb (intr)

to quarrel or fight noisily; squabble

(esp of water) to flow noisily

Derived Forms

brawler, nounbrawling, noun, adjective

Word Origin for brawl

C14: probably related to Dutch brallen to boast, behave aggressively

British Dictionary definitions for brawl (2 of 2)

brawl

/ (brɔːl) /

noun

a dance: the English version of the branle

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