as in brawls
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
a verbal disagreement at the football game soon turned into a general melee involving scores of spectators
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melees
Noun
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Investigators aren't saying if there's a connection between Henderson's death and brawls at the bar.—
Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
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The plastic whistles and the car horns and the street brawls and the neighborhoods emptying into streets — the whole communities playing immovable rock to unstoppable federal force.—
Noun
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The investigation into the killing of a US citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this week is being complicated by clashes between federal and local officials, with the FBI taking control over the objections of Governor Tim Walz.—
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The powerful Sun clashes with Chiron by way of your chatter quadrant and your habit zone, encouraging you to address a tricky situation at work or in your neighborhood with courageous calm.—
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Cite this Entry
“Melees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melees. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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