spat 1 of 2

noun

Definition of spatnext
as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions like any couple, they have their spats

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spat

2 of 2

verb

as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily we tend to spat over money more than anything else

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 spat
Noun
The spat is forcing Indonesian market officials to play damage control. — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 The spat comes as Risley’s creditors attempt to recover money from the collapse of CFFI Ventures. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth. — Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024 Israeli media reported that coalition lawmaker Simcha Rothman had joined a Sukkot march during which ultra-Orthodox Jews spat at churches. — Julia Frankel The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
  1. altercation
  2. bicker
  3. dispute
  4. argue
  5. quarrel
  6. fight
  7. controversy
  8. brawl
Noun
  • On Friday, Benson's family told CBS News Detroit that the incident stemmed from an altercation that happened years prior.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Wallace was charged in federal court last month on the same day that her successor, Cody Bass, was ordered to spend 10 days in a Douglas County, Nevada, jail for a harassment conviction stemming from an altercation at a brewpub.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of altercation
Verb
  • The two are fond but sick of each other, at times bickering with real melancholy and malice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The two of them together, just 17 months apart, shared playlists, bickered over where to stop during Apple CarPlay calls, pulled up beside me and faded away with silly faces, encapsulating 20 years of my life in my rearview mirror.
    — Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • Heemeyer owned a muffler shop in the town and had been engaged in a long-running series of property and zoning disputes with local authorities.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Having been through the NBA and NFL lockouts of 2011 and other labor disputes, McKenzie recalled just how much of a rush there can be on supplementing income if paychecks don’t resume.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of dispute
Verb
  • The plaintiffs argued that Trump’s order exceeds his presidential authority and violates the Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Privacy Act.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
  • If El-Sayed loses, there will be a fight over blame between Democrats who spent tens of millions of dollars to support him and progressives who’ll argue that the party establishment can’t be trusted when leftist candidates win a nomination.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of argue
Noun
  • In the first incident, a 47-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the upper body during a quarrel with his killer outside a Bronx homeless shelter on Sedgwick Ave.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When a quarrel over an inheritance revives old hostilities, their relationship comes under pressure from greed and treachery in a conflict not of their making.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Verb
  • Brown's career started as well as anyone could have imagined, as the former sixth-round-pick from Central Michigan went from fighting to earn a roster spot to becoming one of the most prolific wide receivers in Pittsburgh franchise history.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The American Gaming Association has been fighting prediction markets as unlicensed gambling.
    — Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • This year’s ceremony ran into controversy earlier in the year when it was announced that it would be hosted in Abu Dhabi, which has faced criticism for human rights violations.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
  • As the controversy mounted, the museum called off the exhibition.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of controversy
Verb
  • Jordan, the brawling former wrestler who helmed the Judiciary Committee, has long been preferred by the hard right, including some from the Freedom Caucus.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • On the night of January 14, after some drinking, two young men started brawling and the incident turned bloody—an average Tuesday evening in this part of the city at this time.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of brawl

Browse Nearby Words

spastic paralysis
spat
spate
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Cite this Entry

“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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