spat

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ˈspat

Synonyms of spat next

past tense and past participle of spit

spat

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noun (1)

plural spat or spats

: a young bivalve (such as an oyster)

spat

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noun (2)

: a cloth or leather gaiter covering the instep and ankle

spat

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noun (3)

chiefly dialectal : slap entry 2

: a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst

a lovers' spat

: a sound like that of rain falling in large drops

spat

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verb

spatted; spatting

transitive verb

chiefly dialectal : slap

intransitive verb

: to quarrel pettily or briefly

: to strike with a sound like that of rain falling in large drops

Example Sentences

Verb They were typical sisters, spatting one minute, playing together the next. we tend to spat over money more than anything else

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

His spat with Mcllroy is as one-sided as the current state of their games — Reed subpoenaed McIlroy on Christmas Eve in an LIV lawsuit — and Reed is not easy to root for. —

Jim Hoban, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 The family spat began to spill into public view on Tuesday, two days before Carrie was to be posthumously honored with a star on the Walk of Fame. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 5 May 2023 Litigation follows Justice and his businesses around, including a current spat with his longtime bankers in Virginia over loan repayments. —

Andrew Donaldson, Washington Examiner, 5 May 2023 Adding worries on top of that is the latest political spat over the nation's debt limit. —

CBS News, 2 May 2023 Kim, Kourtney Kardashian seemingly clash over Dolce & Gabbana collaboration A sisterly spat over fashion appears to erupt between Kim and Kourtney following Kourtney’s Italian wedding with Travis Barker last May. —

Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2023 After several spats with their fellow campmates and refusal to do a challenge, the pair tried to quit the game three times. —

Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2023 Last fall, however, he was temporarily relieved of his position amid a spat with the military brass. —

Adam Pemble, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Apr. 2023 The spat has since escalated to a point where Disney World could lose its special tax status in Florida that has helped support its vast operations for decades. —

Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2023

Verb

Capitalism devoured America from the inside out and then spat out the bones. —

Sarah Jones, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2021 As a Black man operating a transit vehicle, Berley Roberts Sr. faced passengers who spat at him and made racist remarks. —

Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 11 Feb. 2023 He is alleged to have called a Jewish man a slur, threatened to kill him and spat on him. —

NBC News, 3 Mar. 2022 Burst pipes spat more than 4 feet of water into the Hall’s boiler room, with flooding and humidity causing damage throughout the building, and to the priceless historical documents within. —

Mark Lamster, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.