fracas
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fracas
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
Explanation
If your marching band gets into a fight with another school's pep squad, your principal might say the fracas was uncalled for and undignified. A fracas is a noisy quarrel. Fracas comes from an Italian word meaning "uproar" or "crash." Two people in a quiet little spat is not a fracas, but a schoolyard rumble definitely qualifies as one! Sometimes fracas means the large amount of outraged discussion that an event causes. Imagine the fracas if your school decided to ban sneakers!
Vocabulary lists containing fracas
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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.
Muskan Choudhary, 20, has had sleepless nights since the fracas around the May exam—her third attempt at cracking the test.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
One Nation's co-founder David Oldfield was also expelled following a public fracas with Hanson.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
When the fracas became public, Gabbard decided to litigate it on X and go personal on the whistleblower, inadvertently telegraphing her weak position.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026
The fracas is far from over, as Greenland and other geopolitical risks remain elevated.
From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026
So I never heard a thing—no frantic thumping, no terrified shouting, no fracas at all.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
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.
