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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In 2012, surviving members of the Beach Boys reunited for a 50th anniversary album, which quickly hit the Top 10 before the group again bickered and separated.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 June 2025 -
Vance memes, framing the vice president as the troubled child of bickering parents.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Democrats, led by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, had argued that in recent decades Congress gradually surrendered war-making powers to the president.—
Robert Jimison,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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His attorneys had argued that he was manipulated by Blanchard, a victim of Munchausen by proxy, to kill her mom and should have his charges reduced to second-degree murder, according to The Springfield News-Leader.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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After weeks of defense attorneys fighting in court for Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States, the Trump administration brought him back on June 7 to face federal human smuggling charges.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
26 June 2025
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For Coetzee, Speaking in Tongues is part of a larger project of fighting the hegemony of English in world literature.—
Carey Baraka,
The Dial,
26 June 2025
Verb
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The victim, 36, was quarreling with an unknown man on the street in the 400 block of North Wells Street just after 7 p.m. when the second man pulled out a firearm and shot the victim, striking him in the left arm, police said.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
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Conservative talk-radio host John Reid became the de facto nominee for lieutenant governor after his primary opponent left the race, and despite intraparty quarreling.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 June 2025
Verb
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But Kemp and Ossoff clash over who should get credit for Georgia’s green energy boom.—
Glen Luke Flanagan,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
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On June 27, 2025, the Global Combat Collective presents a must-see heavyweight clash as former world champion Deontay Wilder faces Tyrrell Herndon at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The first is that when U.S. soldiers returned from the war there, protesters spat upon them in disdain.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
Foreign Affairs,
19 May 2016
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The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth.—
Greg Wehner,
Fox News,
15 May 2024
Verb
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The letter claimed Harvard did not dispute the factual findings.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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Kemp sharply disputes that the Biden-era incentives spurred the flood of investment, saying many industries were already on their way before the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.—
Glen Luke Flanagan,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The border state had been rife with turmoil as secessionists street brawled with unionists about whose side Maryland should join.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
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When the Giants brawled with each other last Thursday, some NFL sources marveled that the Giants were even practicing hard enough to prompt a fight during OTAs, which are voluntary spring practices used to acclimate teams for the summer grind of training camp.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Altercate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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