as in arguing
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!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bickering
Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, and the other members of The Morning Show’s newsroom and its network are once again bickering and backstabbing.
—
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The casting here is perfection itself, with Cumberbatch and Colman bickering back and forth with all the drawing-room style of a new age Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall, or maybe the Burton and Taylor of The Taming of the Shrew with a dab of Virginia Woolf.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bickering
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The casting here is perfection itself, with Cumberbatch and Colman bickering back and forth with all the drawing-room style of a new age Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall, or maybe the Burton and Taylor of The Taming of the Shrew with a dab of Virginia Woolf.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bickering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bickering
Verb
-
Prosecutors alleged the other crimes of violence were represented by two stalking charges, arguing Mangione stalked Thompson online and travelled across state lines to carry out the killing.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors on Bragg’s case earlier this week urged the presiding judge to schedule trial to begin in July, before the federal case makes it before a jury, arguing local authorities first investigated and charged Mangione and should get to try him first.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Fatu and Rhodes took turns fighting each other and then the WWE officials.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
As the first book in Quinn’s ambitious, interconnected series, The Duke and I is tasked with introducing society matron Violet Bridgerton and her eight affectionate, squabbling children, as well as their many friends (and frenemies) in 1800s British high society.—
Sara Netzley,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Democrats and Republicans continued squabbling over the content of trade policy, but the protectionist impulse largely receded and was replaced by a consensus that lower trade barriers would support economic recovery and advance broader foreign policy goals.—
Inu Manak,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Videos recorded at the scene appeared to show Danis brawling with Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed Zaynukov, both teammates of Makhachev.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
-
McGuane also reminded me that Hemingway was, to put it politely, a complicated personality, a domineering figure prone to brawling, affairs, and cask-strength egoism.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Filmmakers, artisans and creatives must balance their time between making art and completing busywork, such as reviewing feedback, wrangling files and sharing footage with stakeholders.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
-
But he was also quickly impeached following wrangling with opposition lawmakers over his refusal to fill vacant seats at the Constitutional Court, which was deliberating whether to formally throw Yoon out of office.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bickering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bickering. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
