Pronunciation: /əˈfreɪ/

Definitions of affray

noun a noisy quarrel or fight

Example Sentences

A1 The children got into an affray over a toy at the playground.

A2 The affray between the two rival gangs caused chaos in the neighborhood.

B1 The police were called to break up the affray between the protesters and counter-protesters.

B2 The affray at the music festival escalated quickly, leading to several arrests.

C1 The media coverage of the affray shed light on the underlying social issues in the community.

C2 The legal team had to carefully navigate the complexities of the affray case in court.

verb to engage in a noisy quarrel or fight

Example Sentences

A1 I affrayed my little sister by jumping out and scaring her.

A2 The loud noise affrayed the birds, causing them to fly away in fear.

B1 The sudden change in weather affrayed the residents, who were not prepared for a storm.

B2 The unexpected announcement affrayed the employees, leading to confusion and concern.

C1 The controversial decision made by the government affrayed the public, sparking protests and debates.

C2 The company's unethical practices affrayed investors, resulting in a significant drop in stock prices.

Examples of affray in a Sentence

formal The police were called to break up the affray that broke out at the protest.

informal There was a big affray at the party last night, things got out of hand.

slang Did you hear about the affray between those two gangs? It was intense!

figurative The affray between the two political parties escalated quickly, leading to heated debates.

Grammatical Forms of affray

past tense

affrayed

plural

affrays

comparative

more affray

superlative

most affray

present tense

affrays

future tense

will affray

perfect tense

have affrayed

continuous tense

is affraying

singular

affray

positive degree

affray

infinitive

to affray

gerund

affraying

participle

affrayed

Origin and Evolution of affray

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Old French
Story behind the word: The word 'affray' originated from Old French 'esfrei', meaning disturbance or quarrel.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'affray' evolved to refer specifically to a public disturbance or brawl, often involving multiple people. It has retained this meaning in modern English usage.