as in quarrels
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
judging from all the slamming and banging, I'd say there was some sort of altercation going on next door
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of altercations
During his time with the Pistons, he was known for getting into altercations with opposing players, most recently in February 2026, when he was suspended for seven games following a fight with the Charlotte Hornets.
—
Dejanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Court documents describe multiple violent altercations between Spencer and his wife leading up to the murder and one arrest after Spencer hit his wife and threatened to kill her.
—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Aside from some verbal altercations and the scuffle after the match, the protests were smaller than at Iran's first game and featured more security from the outset.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
Many fouls were committed, including physical altercations, reckless tackles, and verbal spats.
—
Andrew Pereira,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
18 June 2026
Over the last few months, Taylor has been embroiled in a series of legal battles with Mortensen, first beginning in February with a pair of investigations by Utah police departments into allegations each made that the other acted violently during altercations that month.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
Durso alleged that Valle was upset after the previous altercations and lost his cool when his friend’s vehicle was damaged by the crowd of youths who rocked and shook the vehicle Valle and his friends arrived in.
—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2026
Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Dejanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Court documents describe multiple violent altercations between Spencer and his wife leading up to the murder and one arrest after Spencer hit his wife and threatened to kill her.
—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Aside from some verbal altercations and the scuffle after the match, the protests were smaller than at Iran's first game and featured more security from the outset.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
Many fouls were committed, including physical altercations, reckless tackles, and verbal spats.
—
Andrew Pereira,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
18 June 2026
Over the last few months, Taylor has been embroiled in a series of legal battles with Mortensen, first beginning in February with a pair of investigations by Utah police departments into allegations each made that the other acted violently during altercations that month.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
Durso alleged that Valle was upset after the previous altercations and lost his cool when his friend’s vehicle was damaged by the crowd of youths who rocked and shook the vehicle Valle and his friends arrived in.
—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2026
Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altercations
Noun
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Rounding out the top five names were seven write-in votes for the Sacramento Capitals or Capitols — which could be nicknamed the Caps to avoid quarrels over the spelling — and six votes for the Sacramento Stingers or Sting, referencing the collegiate Sacramento State Hornets.
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In a 2024 study, researchers found that chimpanzee mothers tended to step in to defend their children in quarrels—say, over food or space in a tree—in about half of cases the researchers observed in the wild.
Noun
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Showdowns over international inspectors caused years of disputes between the US and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and more recently Iran.
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Council members ultimately said the purpose of the sister city program was to build relationships between communities, not to settle international political disputes.
Noun
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Some states chose not to send representatives; several of them cited disagreements with the partisan mission.
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The city commission reached a major step forward on the project after months of delays and disagreements over the best way to replace the old City Hall, which was damaged beyond repair by the historic flooding of April 2023.
Noun
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Skoog said he was honored to receive Sayers’ endorsement, saying mayors are focused on delivering results rather than engaging in political fights.
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For five months, sentiment ran consistently negative, dragged down by trade disputes, NATO burden-sharing fights and the general friction between Washington and European capitals.
Noun
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But the Dodgers organization seems to always find itself in the middle of other off-field controversies, and last season was no exception.
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Can Foxx remember a time when all three main wings of local government in Charlotte were dealing with such big changes and controversies?
Noun
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Interspersed with the adventure – and quite a few brawls with bad guys – are flashbacks to Kara’s time on Krypton and adopting Krypto.
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Such brawls can ignite without warning, and are among the reasons humans are forbidden by county law to get within 50 feet of the horses.
Noun
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Trump had campaigned on restricting birthright citizenship, arguing that the citizenship clause had been misinterpreted, and attended the April 2026 oral arguments in a first for a sitting president.
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Now, after oral arguments in January, the laws will be protected.
Noun
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The idea is to allow for accidents, miscommunications or misunderstandings that the participants agree should not scuttle talks.
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Starting to collaborate early, and maintaining collaboration throughout every phase of the campaign process, is how teams can move away from working in siloes and decrease the chances of misunderstandings.
Cite this Entry
“Altercations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercations. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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