as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
like any couple, they have their spats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
we tend to spat over money more than anything else
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spat
Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Canceled also highlights other controversies in Deen's career, including her public spats with Bourdain, the world-traveling chef and CNN travel documentarian who later died by suicide in 2018.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Kareem Khadder, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Noun
Six officers searched their residence, and the couple were detained for eight hours over a spat with Cowley Hill Primary School.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Canceled also highlights other controversies in Deen's career, including her public spats with Bourdain, the world-traveling chef and CNN travel documentarian who later died by suicide in 2018.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
The one charged with assault spat on a person, while the others spat towards people, police said to explain the different charges.
—Kareem Khadder, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
Noun
-
Student accused of mocking Charlie Kirk death Camryn Giselle Booker, a student at Texas Tech University, was arrested on charges of assault after an altercation with students mourning the death of Charlie Kirk.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Campus police arrested a student at Texas Tech University in connection to an altercation with students who were mourning the death of Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, and the other members of The Morning Show’s newsroom and its network are once again bickering and backstabbing.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
However, lovers’ quarrels or difficulty dealing with children (hissy fits or meltdowns) might occur.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The outcome of that long-simmering family quarrel is never really in much doubt, but there are still a few neat surprises involving a couple of rare bottles of whiskey and the fate of two family businesses.—
Stephen Farber,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Penske’s complaint argues that practice isn’t a fair exchange and has caused significant financial harm, with the company’s affiliate revenue falling by more than a third (as a result of Google’s AI Overviews co-opting traffic that might have otherwise gone to Penske outlets).—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Critics and rights groups argued that both the ban and the bill function as tools for censorship, threatening freedom of expression, press freedom and fundamental rights.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The dispute was heard by an arbitrator (and not a judge) because, per SPAC language and accompanying NBPA regulations, player-agent disputes are subject to arbitration.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The dishwasher was made in America, though there is some dispute over who did it.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
How do Flock cameras help fight crime?—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
These medications can lower the number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that helps fight bacterial infections.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Purdy has his share of critics, and such critics may claim that continued fine play from Jones could set up a bit of a quarterback controversy in San Francisco.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Skip to content One summer in Brooklyn, a controversy broke out in my dog-park group chat.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sports could be dangerous even without brawling in UFC’s Octagon, an eight-sided cage.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Having a cyberarm might offset glitches in brawling attacks to encourage players to take more risk dice during a first fight.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share