quibbled; quibbling
ˈkwi-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words
: to subject to quibbles
1
: an evasion of or shift from the point
2
: a minor objection or criticism
Did you know?
Quibble is most familiar as a verb, but it can also function as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of quibble settled into English in the mid-17th century, presumably (though not definitively) as a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, meaning “quibble.” Quib in turn may have come from a form of Latin qui, meaning “who,” a distant relation also of our word who.
Examples of quibble in a Sentence
Verb
he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Noun
Our only quibble about the trip was that it rained a lot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Cary and Walter try to write a film script, but mostly quibble over details like a name for their non-existent production.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 22 June 2025
Seth Eli Barlow, Arkansas Online, 24 June 2025
No quibbles here though with seeing Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, one of the great highlights of the Broadway season and a performance America deserves to witness on Sunday night, especially since Groff may win his second Tony in a row.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 7 June 2025
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Verb
These seemingly arbitrary small items are essentially sweeteners to win over lawmakers who might quibble with the broader thrust of the legislation.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Cary and Walter try to write a film script, but mostly quibble over details like a name for their non-existent production.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 22 June 2025
Noun
Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.
—Seth Eli Barlow, Arkansas Online, 24 June 2025
No quibbles here though with seeing Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, one of the great highlights of the Broadway season and a performance America deserves to witness on Sunday night, especially since Groff may win his second Tony in a row.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quibble. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quibble
1 of 2 verb
quib·ble
ˈkwib-əl
quibbled; quibbling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to talk about unimportant things rather than the real point
stop quibbling about words and tell what happened
2
: to find fault or argue over unimportant points
people ignored the main point of the speech and quibbled about its length
quibble
2 of 2 noun1
: a statement that deals with a minor matter and not the real point under discussion
2
: a minor objection or criticism
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