scrimmage

Examples

• All

• I remember a scrimmage match we had at Long Run.

  Blog text (19)

• You led the scrimmage when the sheriff's bullies started throwing us out the hall.

  Tennessee Johnson (1942)

• The two sides faced off as in a scrimmage, the students forcing back the police with stones until reinforcements arrived with tanks and tear gas launchers.

  Fiction book (1999)

• There was a huge scrimmage outside the school as students argued about the rules of the game.

• The crowd erupted into a scrimmage when the rival teams clashed after the match.

• During the festival, a loud scrimmage broke out as people jostled to get closer to the parade.

Synonyms

B

brawl

vsscrimmage

60 4.6

A noisy, violent fight among a group in a public place

is typically more confused and less location specific

F

fray

vsscrimmage

50 6.5

A noisy fight involving several people

focuses more on confusion and physical struggle than argument

S

scuffle

vsscrimmage

25 3.7

A short, rough fight between people, not usually serious

is noisier and more involving of groups

S

skirmish

vsscrimmage

22 6.4

A brief unplanned fight between small groups, often during a larger conflict

is more chaotic and crowd based rather than small tactical clashes

M

melee

vsscrimmage

19 8.4

A loud, confused fight among many people

is often smaller or less chaotic than that

T

tussle

vsscrimmage

14 4.8

A short, rough fight that is noisy or confused

is louder and involves more people rather than just force

B

battle royal

vsscrimmage

• Informal

1 7.0

A noisy fight involving many people in one place

is usually less formal and more chaotic in action

Compounds

L

line of scrimmage

• Jargon

16 6.2

An invisible line on a football field where teams stand before each play

S

scrimmage line

• Jargon

7.5

A line on the field where players line up before each play

How Violent

melee

19 8.4

brawl

60 4.6

scrimmage

4 7.5

tussle

14 4.8

scuffle

25 3.7

Surface Forms

Etymology