brawls
Chaotic group skirmishes
Brawls are noisy, disorderly fights, typically involving multiple people in a public place: A brawl broke out in the parking lot after the game.
The word suggests chaotic physical conflict rather than organized combat—bar brawls, street brawls, bench-clearing brawls in sports.
To brawl is to engage in such fighting.
Hand-to-hand combat
- punchesForceful fist strikes
- tussleBrief physical struggle
- scuffleBrief disorderly struggle
- slugfestProlonged violent exchange
rumble · donnybrook · fistfight · grappling · wrestling · haymaker · uppercut · combatant
fisticuffs
Hand-to-hand combat
slugfest · rumble · donnybrook · fistfight · grappling · wrestling · haymaker · uppercut · combatant · scrapper
melee
Disordered group skirmish
chaos · tumult · pandemonium · fracas · riot · bedlam · turmoil · havoc · disorder · anarchy
altercation
Heated verbal dispute
confrontation · feud · dispute · quarrel · squabble · showdown · standoff · face-off · rivalry · hostility
- game modeseasy mode, ranked match, deathmatch, hard mode, practice match
- hostilityanimosity, hostility, antagonism, belligerence, malice
- media violenceviolent imagery, content warnings, age restrictions, parental controls, V-chip
brawlspeace
Freedom from disturbance
harmony · reconciliations · truces · amity · fellowship
brawlsduels
Arranged one-on-one fights
tournaments · bouts · matches · sparring · boxing matches
brawlsnegotiations
Formal discussion seeking agreement
peace talks · mediations · arbitrations · dialogues · discussions
- barroom brawlViolent tavern altercation
- street brawlPublic physical altercation
- bar brawlFight in drinking establishment
- drunken brawl
- tavern brawlFight in drinking establishment
- bench-clearing brawlAll-player on-field fight