quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.
a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship
wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.
wrangle interminably about small issues
altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.
a loud public altercation
squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.
a brief squabble over what to do next
Examples of squabble in a Sentence
Noun
frightened by noise of the squabble, the cat hid under the couch Verb
The children were squabbling over the toys.
the children squabbled loudly over who got to play with the toy first
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Democrats will be Democrats and squabble among themselves.—Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 31 July 2024 Julianne and her brother Derek Hough both know that their family’s health is way more important than any sibling squabbles.—EW.com, 7 Aug. 2024
Verb
The campaigns have publicly squabbled over the debate schedule since Harris took over the Democratic ticket.—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2024 The two companies are still squabbling over carriage fees.—Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for squabble
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squabble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skvabbel dispute
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