fracas

noun

ˈfrā-kəs How to pronounce fracas (audio)
Definition of fracasnext
1
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups the police broke up the fracas in the bar and threw both combatants in the lockup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people police preparing for any fracas that might follow the soccer game

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 fracas From here, a fracas of colors, textures, and patterns permeates every last corner of this 57-room hotel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026 Three of the six people injured in the top-floor fracas were police officers, according to Sgt. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 The fracas in the video, of course, is a distraction from the music that’s playing in the background, ostensibly a song from the record, which is notable since the announcement didn’t come with a track list or a single. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026 South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass, arrested after a fracas outside a Tahoe-area bar last year, was found guilty of misdemeanor harassment in the September 2025 incident, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fracas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fracas
  1. skirmish
  2. brawl
  3. clash
  4. altercation
  5. battle
  6. fight
  7. scuffle
  8. dustup
Noun
  • This leads to even more behind-the-scenes skirmishes laced with character-centric comedy, as opposing factions align.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ties between the two countries remain strained over their long-running Himalayan border dispute, which erupted into a deadly skirmishes in 2020 that saw soldiers from both sides use rocks and iron rods in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of skirmish
Noun
  • Doing so after a postgame brawl that made national news could be even tougher.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The brawl began when the players were shaking hands, just after Grayson defeated Carol City 10-9.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of brawl
Noun
  • By Saturday, demonstrations over rising living costs, school conditions and declining public services had escalated into clashes with police, fires, looting and attacks on public buildings in several cities.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The decades-old rivalry has favored United in the last seven meetings at Elland Road, but Leeds head into Sunday's clash in strong form, with two wins and three draws placing them 7th on the table.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clash
Noun
  • Lazio faced Juventus, whose coach Luciano Spalletti is serving a one-match suspension following his altercation with Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Over 20 shots were fired by multiple people during an early-Saturday altercation in downtown Boise, the Boise Police Department reported Saturday.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of altercation
Noun
  • Still, when the measles outbreak erupted, Bangladesh responded swiftly and initially seemed to be winning the battle.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Policy Policy Your guide to the Supreme Court, federal courts, judicial nominations, and the legal battles shaping American policy.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Russia's heavy bombardment of the power grid ahead of winter has been an annual feature of the war, aimed at wearing down Ukraine's appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Russia’s heavy bombardment of the power grid ahead of winter has been an annual feature of the war, aimed at wearing down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight by denying civilians heat and running water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • Much of the two-week trial hinged on Davis’ own accounts of the killing in media and in a memoir, which prosecutors said was precipitated by a scuffle between Davis’ nephew and Shakur on the night of his death.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Last year, the NFL suspended Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch for one game for instigating a scuffle with the Kansas City Chiefs.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of scuffle
Noun
  • After the dustups, the offense went from taking blows from the defense to delivering some of its own.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
  • The White House’s latest dustup with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) landed with a thud Thursday among his GOP colleagues.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026
Definition of dustup

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Cite this Entry

“Fracas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fracas. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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