as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
the police had to break up an affray that started between fans of the opposing teams
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affray
That same year, he was convicted of affray for participating in a brawl that led to one fatality.
—
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Charges include minor in possession of alcohol, destruction of property, drinking in public, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, affray and disorderly, and assault and battery on police officers, Boyle said.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
The two men were arrested on suspicion of assault, assault of an emergency worker, affray (fighting in public), and obstructing police.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 July 2024
That simple affray charge was dismissed on April 22, according to court records.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 8 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for affray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affray
Noun
-
Investigators aren't saying if there's a connection between Henderson's death and brawls at the bar.—
-
The reminder didn’t dissuade at least five park visitors from participating in a 2023 brawl that was captured on video, showing a woman and man throwing punches at each other and wrestling before others joined in.—
Noun
-
During the altercation, the security guard shot and killed the man, McCabe said.—
-
In 2019, Dykstra had drug and terroristic threat charges dropped after an altercation with an Uber driver in New Jersey in 2018.—
Cite this Entry
“Affray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affray. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share