as in bickering
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 altercating
Verb
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Someone on the bench started bickering with Cameroon’s first goalscorer, Junior Tchamadeu, during a break in play.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026 -
The Federal Reserve chair and the president stood stiffly, side by side, in matching hard hats, bickering on a building site, for all the world to see.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Fatu and Rhodes took turns fighting each other and then the WWE officials.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Skippers kept fighting, using a 7-0 run to take a 57-55 lead with two minutes to go.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The truck driver was convicted of vehicular manslaughter, but the Cobles’ wrongful-death lawsuit against Caltrans, arguing that faulty freeway design led to the backup their car was in when the big rig came around the bend, was lost in a jury trial.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
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Prominent leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have come to the church's defense, arguing that compassion for migrant families affected by the crackdown cannot justify violating a sacred space during worship.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Her father, after quarreling with Antigone’s mother, locked her out of their house overnight, which led to a terrible accident.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
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Lydon’s revelation comes after years of quarreling with guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Some are calling it the Boom Boom era of fashion — where the ‘80s doctrine of fur, clashing prints and a greedy, more-is-more approach to dressing feels like a fun cosplay opportunity during an otherwise bleak economic, political and social reality.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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Last week Wisconsin Watch asked for your questions about immigration enforcement in Wisconsin, particularly as thousands of federal immigration agents patrol Minnesota’s Twin Cities, conducting door-to-door searches for immigrants and clashing daily with protesters and observers.—
Paul Kiefer,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Altercating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercating. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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