as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
this discussion is so silly we might as well altercate on how many angels can dance on the point of a needle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altercate
Verb
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Against the backdrop of an island honeymoon, the two men clash and bicker before gradually uncovering an unexpected bond.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026 -
For those of us interested in governing and not bickering, this is a good thing.—
Gail Slater,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Democrats are demanding that Mills also be expelled, arguing similar conduct should have similar outcomes.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
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Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Viel also finished the game by fighting Podkolzin.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Does the fact that none of this was effective—at least in the sense that Trump hasn’t been driven from the political scene for good—suggest that Democrats should now fight dirtier?—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said witness accounts indicate that the couple arrived at Zuri Hotel in Zanzibar on April 4 and had been quarreling frequently until the night of April 8, when hotel management separated them and asked McCann to move to a separate villa about a 10-minute walk away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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On Thursday, the Miami City Commission deferred voting on two commissioners’ requests to fund affordable housing and parks in their districts after officials quarreled over which areas in the city have the most pressing needs, an argument that cut to the core of the wealth divide in Miami.—
Tess Riski
April 10,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This afternoon’s clash with Newcastle is one of three home games of their final five, with Fulham and Burnley being the remaining pair to take place at the Emirates Stadium.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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John Phelan clashed with Hegseth and other senior officials over efforts to revive US shipbuilding.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Callie and Arizona: Another couple spatting over kids.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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Mulroney, Ackerman, Snow, and Newman turn this story of spatting WAGS into an explosive, addictive watch.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Anthropic is currently disputing the label in court.—
Huo Jingnan,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
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The advisal, though generally passed on verbally, was written out in court documents by lawyers representing the immigrant children, which the government did not dispute.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in 2025, the Bearista cup caused a craze, with customers lining up overnight and, in some cases, brawling over it.—
Nick El Hajj,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Republicans have a rare, if slim, shot at winning the governor’s mansion in deep blue California — but risk blowing it if they’re divided and brawling when voters receive their ballots in early May.—
Joe Garofoli,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Altercate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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