tiff

1 of 2

noun

ˈtif 

: a petty quarrel

tiff

2 of 2

verb

tiffed; tiffing; tiffs

intransitive verb

: to have a petty quarrel

Synonyms

Noun

• altercation
• argle-bargle [chiefly British]
• argument
• argy-bargy [chiefly British]
• battle royal
• bicker
• brawl
• contretemps
• controversy
• cross fire
• disagreement
• dispute
• donnybrook
• falling-out
• fight
• hassle
• imbroglio
• kickup
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• rhubarb
• row
• scrap
• set-to
• spat
• squabble
• wrangle

Verb

• altercate
• argue
• argufy
• bicker
• brabble
• brawl
• controvert
• dispute
• fall out
• fight
• hassle
• jar
• quarrel
• quibble
• row
• scrap
• spat
• squabble
• wrangle

Examples of tiff in a Sentence

Noun

got into a little tiff about what color sheets to buy for their bed

Verb

like any couple, they occasionally tiff, but it's never anything serious

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jackson explained that any in-flight tiffs should be handled by flight attendants as they’re trained to confront passengers about this. —Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Americans are going into debt in order to visit Disneyworld; a guy is suing on behalf of his nut-allergic wife who died after eating at a restaurant there; there’s a tiff with Ron DeSantis over Disney’s criticism of a state law that restricted the teaching of sexuality in schools. —Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Brace yourself for delays, reschedules, and miscommunications on your plate, as both travel and communication are affected by Luna and Mercury’s astrological tiff. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2024

This led to a tiff between Sam and Sierra in terms of if Andy should go next. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1754, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tiff

noun

ˈtif

: a minor quarrel