cross fires

noun

plural of cross fire
as in quarrels
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions viewers tune in to witness the weekly cross fire between the liberal and conservative commentators

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cross fires
  1. quarrels
  2. disputes
  3. altercations
  4. disagreements
  5. fights
  6. controversies
  7. arguments
  8. rows
Noun
  • The overtones of social significance are adroitly handled and make real sense in an era of tragic international quarrels.
    — THR Staff, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Unlike Christian priests and medicine men, who generally command respect, rainmakers are sometimes seen as malicious people who retaliate against whole communities for quarrels with their neighbors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of quarrels
Noun
  • Earlier this week, a Times report revealed Zhang had previously been charged with child abuse for leaving her oldest daughter in a hot car for hours, while Xuan was accused in a civil lawsuit of using violence in landlord-tenant disputes.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That provision could reignite disputes over whether Washington should establish a national standard or preserve stronger state protections.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of disputes
Noun
  • Images showed altercations between police and protesters, with officers using batons to strike demonstrators, who threw barriers.
    — Joseph Wilson, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The election is taking place amid heightened political tensions in Serbia, with reports of incidents and physical altercations at campaign events.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of altercations
Noun
  • Pretoria has refused, despite disagreements within the coalition government.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Put Disagreements In Writing First Put disagreements in writing before anyone argues them out loud.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of disagreements
Noun
  • The Real Cost Of Objections These fights are gaining traction because many of the strongest objections are financial and infrastructure-related.
    — Zev Laine, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The rule, passed in June, is the subject of multiple court fights.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of fights
Noun
  • While the show is beloved, its legacy has also been marred with a series of tragedies and controversies, both on and off screen.
    — Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Rodríguez also accused Uthmeier of trying to divert attention from controversies involving Hope Florida and Alligator Alcatraz, the state’s immigration detention facility.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of controversies
Noun
  • Theoretical arguments suggest that a substantial part, if not all, of the randomness in the world is of quantum origin.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Lincoln lost that year, but the country benefited from their arguments over the legality and morality of slavery.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of arguments
Noun
  • Ohtani didn’t rule anything out in his postgame scrum, several rows deep, in front of his locker after the Dodgers’ 6-4 defeat in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The ICUs were quiet also, because rows of patients slowly dying on ventilators don’t make noise.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rows
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

cross fire
cross fires
cross-grained
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Cite this Entry

“Cross fires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cross%20fires. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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