brawl

1 of 2

verb

brawled; brawling; brawls

intransitive verb

1
: to quarrel or fight noisily : wrangle
soccer fans brawling in the streets
2
: to make a loud confused noise
the Miami river … brawled over 25 feet of rapidsMarjory S. Douglas
brawler noun

brawl

2 of 2

noun

1
: a noisy quarrel or fight
a brawl broke out among the fans
a barroom brawl
2
: a loud tumultuous noise
the spring run became quite a trout brook and its tiny murmur a loud brawlJohn Burroughs

Examples of brawl in a Sentence

Verb Fans were brawling in the streets after the game. the Wilsons were always loudly brawling, and the neighbors were always shutting their windows Noun they were thrown out of the party after starting a brawl the student drama society's decision to put on the controversial play prompted a brawl at the school board meeting
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
At the start, the Peaky Blinders (the gang gets their name from their newsboy caps, worn with razorblades sewn into the brims for easy mutilating of enemies) are minor players, collecting protection fees and brawling with drunks throughout the neighborhood of Small Heath. Charley Locke, WIRED, 6 July 2016 Arab nations that had spent decades brawling with Iran for regional influence are now opting to engage with it again. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
The plot gets more ridiculous from there but everyone in the cast — especially Evans — sells it with a wink while director/co-screenwriter George Huang stages martial-arts brawls and gunfights. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024 The brawl would see multiple officials getting involved, including Owens hitting a Stunner on a referee and Orton hitting an RKO on Raw General Manager Adam Pearce. David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brawl 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English brawlen, brallen, of uncertain origin

Noun

Middle English braule, brall, noun derivative of brawlen "to brawl entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brawl was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near brawl

Cite this Entry

“Brawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brawl. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

brawl

verb
ˈbrȯl
1
: to quarrel noisily : wrangle
2
: to make a loud confused noise
brawl noun
brawler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on brawl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!