quibbled

verb

past tense of quibble
1
as in complained
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily don't quibble over who gets to sit in front

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 quibbled The story that’s being quibbled about concerns a teen suicide. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026 During a debate Tuesday, some lawmakers quibbled over whether the bill would infringe on the free market. — Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026 Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026 Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with. — Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction. — April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbled
  1. complained
  2. bickered
  3. fussed
  4. argued
  5. moaned
  6. quarreled
  7. muttered
  8. fought
Verb
  • Business impact Two South Main Street restaurant owners complained to the Observer this year about a significant loss in trade due to the work.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
  • In 2024, some players complained about a McDonald's ad appearing on a screen for selecting games.
    — Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 July 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • King bickered with fans on social media.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
  • But Tilly and Gershon playfully bickered onstage as the former remembered things slightly differently, with Tilly saying the problem had more to do with a shot of her hand on Gershon's crotch that was deemed too realistic.
    — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Definition of bickered
Verb
  • The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2025
Definition of fussed
Verb
  • In a letter obtained by TMZ, Hostin argued her son mistakenly entered the property while jogging after spotting what appeared to be a gravel incline suitable for hill training.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
  • Backstage, Danhausen, Hendry and the Judgment Day argued over the money with Adam Pearce trying to keep the peace.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of argued
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • In fact, Twain might well have quarreled with the whole premise of celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
    — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • He's previously quarreled with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Draymond Green.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
Definition of quarreled
Verb
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
    — Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • The war’s new weapon What began as a ground war has evolved into a battle increasingly fought from the air.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • The king successfully fought a hundred men and emerged victorious, but not before killing Antinous in Sinon’s name.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of fought

Browse Nearby Words

quibble
quibbled
quibbler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quibbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbled. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on quibbled

Nglish: Translation of quibbled for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All