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Synonyms

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.

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.

melee British  
/ ˈmɛleɪ /

noun

  1. a noisy riotous fight or brawl

"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

Etymology

Origin of melee1

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

Origin of melee2

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

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.

As the Iranian motorcade left, demonstrators shouted "terrorists!" and surged forward throwing objects, with the police swiftly shoving them -- and the reporters behind -- backwards, as some tumbled over in the melee.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Because the punishments for fighting at the Olympics are so harsh, the brothers likely won’t be starting a melee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

The Robins saw a late equaliser disallowed for offside in their 1-0 defeat by Millwall on Saturday, resulting in a huge post-match melee involving staff and players from both sides.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

To avoid the melee on the cables, five climbers sought shelter in a cramped granite cave at the summit.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025

Behind us, kids were scampering, and a melee of screaming kite runners was chasing the loose kite drifting high above the trees.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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.