brawling

Verb (1)

brawl (third-person singular simple present brawls, present participle brawling, simple past and past participle brawled)

1. (intransitive) To engage in a brawl; to fight or quarrel.
   • I doe the wrong, and firſt began to braule / The ſecret miſchiefes that I ſet abroach, / I lay vnto the grieuous charge of others: [...]c. 1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Sims [and Peter Short] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC...

   Synonyms:

   squabble, wrangle

2. (intransitive) To create a disturbance; to complain loudly.
   • Say beggar, why brawlest þou? go boune þe to þe barre.[1430–1440, “XXX. The Tapiteres and Couchers. The Dream of Pilate’s Wife: Jesus before Pilate.”, in Lucy Toulmin Smith, editor, York Plays: The Plays Performed by the Crafts or Mysteries of York on...
3. (intransitive) Especially of a rapid stream running over stones: to make a loud, confused noise.
   • To day my Lord of Amiens, and my ſelfe, / Did ſteale behinde him as he lay along / Vnder an oake, whoſe anticke roote peepes out / Vpon the brooke that brawles along this wood, [...]c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
4. (transitive) To pour abuse on; to scold.

Verb (2)

brawl (third-person singular simple present brawls, present participle brawling, simple past and past participle brawled)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To move to and fro, to quiver, to shake.

   Synonyms:

   vibrate, waver

See all 7 meanings of brawl