bandied words

phrase

past tense of bandy words
as in bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily The two men bandied words in a heated debate about which team was better.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bandied words
  1. locked horns
  2. butted heads
Phrase
  • But the shortage is here, and the Water Bank has locked horns with city leaders over policies to retrieve that water.
    — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There is no indication that organization locked horns with the city over its findings.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of locked horns
Phrase
  • Kaegi has regularly butted heads with board members over their appeals, which often overturned his valuations of big business buildings.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Appearing in the show’s third season, Wegland was a member of Bartlet’s re-election team who butted heads with Toby.
    — Madeline Boardman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of butted heads
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bandied (about)
bandied words
bandies
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Cite this Entry

“Bandied words.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bandied%20words. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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