brawl

[ brawl ]

noun

1. an angry, rough, noisy fight, especially one engaged in under the influence of alcohol:

   The wild, free-for-all western brawl in the saloon lasts two full minutes and constitutes the movie’s opening scene.

   Synonyms: tumult, wrangle, rumpus, row, altercation, affray

2. Slang. a large, noisy party.
3. Obsolete. a bubbling or roaring noise; a clamor.

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in angry, rough, noisy fighting, especially while under the influence of alcohol:

   He found that his hero was little more than a drunken, brawling tramp.

   Synonyms: row, bicker, fight, squabble

2. to make a bubbling or roaring noise, as water flowing over a rocky bed.

brawl

¹

/ brɔːl /

noun

1. a loud disagreement or fight
2. slang.
   an uproarious party

verb

1. to quarrel or fight noisily; squabble
2. (esp of water) to flow noisily

brawl

²

/ brɔːl /

noun

1. a dance: the English version of the branle

Derived Forms

• ˈbrawling, nounadjective
• ˈbrawler, noun

Other Words From

• brawl·er noun
• brawl·y adjective
• out·brawl verb (used with object)
• un·brawl·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brawl¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; (verb) Middle English brawlen, brallen “to raise a clamor, quarrel, boast”; of uncertain origin; (noun) Middle English braule, brall, derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of brawl¹

C14: probably related to Dutch brallen to boast, behave aggressively

Synonym Study

See disorder.

Example Sentences

Good news: so is this grainy TMZ footage of a Bieber/Bloom Ibiza brawl.

From The Daily Beast

How could it be that this word, and not “what” or “why,” has caused a bare-knuckle brawl at such a stratospheric social level?

From The Daily Beast

Most recently, Charles Barkley appeared in a cartoon brawl with Godzilla.

From The Daily Beast

If anyone could have stopped the Everest brawl of April 27, 2013, it was Arnot.

From The Daily Beast

How excited were those three guys to FINALLY have a legitimate reason to bar brawl?

From The Daily Beast

A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.

From Project Gutenberg

When about twenty years of age, in a drunken brawl he shot and killed one of his best friends.

From Project Gutenberg

You see, he had called at the bank on the morning of the night of the brawl, and drew what little money he had.

From Project Gutenberg

Gordon was killed the night before sailing—(Mr. Carr had well described it as a drunken brawl)—killed accidentally.

From Project Gutenberg

Brewing in the senior day-room was a mere vulgar brawl, lacking all the refining influences of the study.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• altercation
• argument
• battle
• bickering
• clash
• dispute
• feud
• fight
• fracas
• free-for-all
• melee
• quarrel
• riot
• ruckus
• scuffle
• squabble
• uproar
• wrangle