brawl
Americannoun
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brawls
plural
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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)
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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
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have brawledperfect
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has brawledperfect
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am brawlingprogressive
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are brawlingprogressive
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is brawlingprogressive
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have been brawlingperfect progressive
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has been brawlingperfect progressive
Past
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brawledsimple
-
had brawledperfect
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was brawlingprogressive
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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:
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
Barnes, four other Times reporters and their families—along with the New York Times NYT 1.41%increase; green up pointing triangle itself—were swept up in a legal brawl over the Trump administration’s efforts to identify leakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Then he got in another brawl, was imprisoned in Fort St. Angelo, escaped, and was formally expelled by the Order—the recorded language is “like a rotten and fetid limb.”
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2026
The brawl has been likened to two heavyweight boxers heading into the ring.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
And now Ms. Hardwick is reading another boring book in class, and April hasn’t smiled at you since the lunchroom brawl.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
When the match resumed, brawls were still going on in the stands and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz failed to score with a weakly hit penalty kick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
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
As newspapermen nationwide wielded “Southland” in rhetorical brawls, Harrison Gray Otis, editor of the new Los Angeles Daily Times, started doing the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2025
She rolls with a posse that’s 30-strong, uses warthogs like DoorDash for her tick snacks between brawls, and has a cousin who catches birds with his butt cheeks.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2024
Drawing from sources as diverse as aikido and barroom brawls, the instructors taught us ways to tangle with an attacking or resisting inmate that you weren’t likely to see in, say, a John Wayne movie.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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
Through the 1980s and 1990s, they and their followers brawled from Sacramento to City Hall to the county Board of Supervisors, in skirmishes that The Times once politely described as “downright mean.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Eventually, the anti-Soviet mujahedeen brawled for power, with the Taliban coming out on top in 1996.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
We had brawled plenty by then, to the point where I viewed her a little bit like an enemy.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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
The differences spilled into the spotlight over the weekend when lawmakers were caught brawling in parliament over proposed reforms.
From BBC ● May 20, 2024
Copyright Act, to reclaim the rights for his 1986 screenplay, “Roadhouse,” which spawned the original movie and this year’s reboot, in which Gyllenhaal portrays an ex-UFC fighter who struggles to leave his brawling days behind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
He’s a fairly even-keeled, calm-sounding guy, which makes him a helpful spokesperson to an organization that has big bearded dudes going out fighting and brawling.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2023
“A fine example to set for your children . . . brawling in public .. . what Gilderoy Lockhart must’ve thought —” “He was pleased,” said Fred.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
