View synonyms for melee

melee

or mê·lée

[ mey-ley, mey-ley, mel-ey ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Games. of or relating to close-range or hand-to-hand combat, especially in video games and role-playing games, but also in some other tabletop games: You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.
I don't enjoy playing melee jobs like Monk or Warrior—I prefer to snipe from afar with an archer or even a mage.
You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.

melee

[ mey-ley, mey-ley ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

melee

/ ˈmɛleɪ /

Origin of melee¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French mêlée “quarrel, mixture”; medley

Origin of melee²

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

Origin of melee¹

C17: from French mêlée. See medley

I had time during the mêlée to take note of the actions of General Forrest, and I observed that a great change had come over him.

As near as they could make out, they had accounted for eight of the enemy, four in the mêlée just finished.

Into this wild mêlée Jack plunged, closely followed by his friend Harry.

Meanwhile, the youngsters were in a mêlée with the two dogs.

Then it was that they had time to observe what had escaped their notice in the rough-and-tumble of the mêlée.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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