melee

¹ American  

[mey-ley, mey-ley, mel-ey] / ˈmeɪ leɪ, meɪˈleɪ, ˈmɛl eɪ /

Or mêlée

noun

1. a confused hand-to-hand fight or struggle among several people.

2. confusion; turmoil; jumble.

   the melee of Christmas shopping.

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adjective

1. Games. of or relating to close-range or hand-to-hand combat, especially in video games and role-playing games, but also in some other tabletop games: You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.

   I don't enjoy playing melee jobs like Monk or Warrior—I prefer to snipe from afar with an archer or even a mage.

   You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.

melee ² American  

[mey-ley, mey-ley] / ˈmeɪ leɪ, meɪˈleɪ /

noun

1. a group of diamonds, each weighing less than 0.25 carat.

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melee British  

/ ˈmɛleɪ /

noun

1. a noisy riotous fight or brawl

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Etymology

Origin of melee¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French mêlée “quarrel, mixture”; medley

Origin of melee¹

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

One indelible image of Metro Surge was of Bovino, emerging from an SUV into a wintry melee, like a general stepping onto a battlefield, and launching a canister that released green smoke at protesters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following a melee at the conclusion of their FA Cup match on Saturday.

From BBC

Police failed to bring the situation under control for hours — a melee former Chancellor Gene Block called a “dark chapter” in the university’s history.

From Los Angeles Times

Those teams have fallen off in recent years and the expansion of the conference has created a melee of parity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Accompanying Hedda throughout is a choir of scooping notes, which by the film’s chaotic finale crescendo into a slightly horrific melee of wild vocals.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brawl
• brouhaha
• clash
• fracas
• free-for-all
• ruckus
• scrimmage
• scuffle
• skirmish
• tussle