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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
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Another example is unlocking the ability to parry after fighting enough creatures using melee weapons.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
When his brother is threatened amidst the melee, Thomas Keller (Stephen Dorff) kills a man.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Fixed an issue where Yasuke could block with his teppo after being dismounted instead of his melee weapon.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 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 5 May. 2025.
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melee
noun
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