as in quarreled
to express different opinions about something often angrily
if you two don't stop bickering about where to go to eat, we're not going out at all!
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Recent Examples of bickered
Jokic and Oklahoma City’s players had bothered each other and bickered all night.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
The actors jokingly bickered about their history with the ceremony, with Cheadle remarking that Clooney hadn’t won since 2026 winner Timothée Chalamet was 3 years old.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Jan. 2026
On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.
—Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
In recent years, the companies have bickered about the rise of streaming services, in which the media companies are investing billions of dollars and which lure away cable and satellite customers.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Communists and socialists bickered over doctrine and orthodoxy.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
During the squabble, Darcey and Georgi bickered about the communication issues impacting their relationship, leaving Georgi’s parents Ginka and Ivan concerned about how healthy their son’s relationship was.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
The actors jokingly bickered about their history with the ceremony, with Cheadle remarking that Clooney hadn’t won since 2026 winner Timothée Chalamet was 3 years old.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Jan. 2026
On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.
—Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
In recent years, the companies have bickered about the rise of streaming services, in which the media companies are investing billions of dollars and which lure away cable and satellite customers.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Communists and socialists bickered over doctrine and orthodoxy.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
During the squabble, Darcey and Georgi bickered about the communication issues impacting their relationship, leaving Georgi’s parents Ginka and Ivan concerned about how healthy their son’s relationship was.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bickered
Verb
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Budapest, which has quarreled with its EU partners over support for Ukraine and Russian oil deliveries, has also blocked a 90 billion euro ($103 billion) loan as Kyiv runs low on cash.—
Lorne Cook,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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Last year, the Legislature didn’t finalize its budget until two weeks before the annual budget cycle ended because the House and Senate quarreled over how to close a $4 billion spending gap.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And former President John Quincy Adams, who was then serving in the House, argued the Amistad case before the high court in 1841.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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City managers from both cities argued that the regulations were implemented without adequate consideration of the financial consequences for local governments.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the property owners fought that previous injunction ruling to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, which heard the case this past week.—
WJAR Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2026
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The men fought briefly on the ground before other men assisted the officer.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Orban has long clashed with the European Union over relations with Russia, support for Ukraine and immigration.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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India, when reformists clashed with the repressive policies of the country’s ruling regime.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The holdover Republicans who have remained attached to the party’s old identity (hawkish, pro-Israel, anti-Russia, opposed to anti-Semitism) have squabbled with its newer entrants.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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The founders squabbled 11 years more over the Constitution, and states took another two years to ratify it.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Drivers brawled with attendants when the gas ran out, or when the lines weren’t moving fast enough, and cops closed down the stations, which made no one happy.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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Rose then brawled with another user who accused the ambassador of interfering in Polish politics.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bickered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bickered. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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