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Melee Has French Roots
English has no shortage of words for confused and noisy fights, some (fray, brawl, scrap) more common than others (donnybrook, fracas). Melee tends to be encountered more often in written rather than spoken English, but it is far from obscure, and has seen increasing use especially in the context of video games featuring some form of hand-to-hand combat. Such games allow players to mix it up with all manner of rivals and baddies from the comfort and safety of their home, with mix being an especially apt word alongside melee: the latter comes from the French word mêlée, which in turn comes from the Old French verb mesler, meaning "to mix."
Examples of melee in a Sentence
David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
That record was set during another matchup between Canada and the U.S. — Matthew and Brady’s father, Keith Tkachuk, and Bill Guerin, now Team USA’s general manager, were among those involved in the melee for Team USA.
—Lauren Merola, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
From thereon, a melee began between a large number of the wedding guests.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Even better, players can now choose from three melee weapons to take into battle.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melee
Cite this Entry
“Melee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melee. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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melee
noun
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