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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 ongoing legal spat spiked Thursday when the SEC sued him, LSU and two other Tigers officials. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Chad Bown, an economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, cites the auto industry as an example of the lose-lose outcome of a North American trade spat. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 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
  • The fatal incident began as a verbal altercation that ensued between Bickham and the group of four people, according to prosecutors.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • There was an alleged altercation between Dycus and a player’s parent in the locker room following Monday night’s 42-8 loss to New Smyrna Beach.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of altercation
Verb
  • Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • While the boys bicker over stickball rules, old-timers Keith Hernandez, Willie Randolph and Tom Seaver argue from a stoop.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • OpenAI finished the job less than a day later—timing that has led to a heated dispute between the latter two mathematicians and the company.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The dispute dates to March, when the government of then-President Rodrigo Chaves Robles closed Costa Rica’s embassy in Havana and gave Cuban diplomats until the end of the month to leave.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of dispute
Verb
  • Supporters of the plan, led by the Swiss People's Party, which includes members with pro-Russia leanings, argued that the government had gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, particularly over Russia's war in Ukraine.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Lula, meanwhile, has argued for a more prominent role of the federal government in the fight against organized crime as well as greater coordination between governmental institutions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of argue
Noun
  • 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
  • Prosecutors told a judge on Saturday that the encounter that led to a man being pushed to his death from a moving CTA Red Line train earlier this month began with a quarrel that escalated when the victim spat on two people.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Verb
  • Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces against the TPLF in that conflict.
    — SAMUEL GETACHEW, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Lord Lovat is out on the road in an attempt to collect Fraser men to fight under his banner for the Jacobites.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • The Drivecast is The Drive‘s weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes on the big stories, controversies, and characters shaping the automotive industry and the way our roads look today.
    — Kyle Cheromcha, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That same year, MOCA canceled its annual gala amid controversy over a lack of diversity among former gala honorees — all straight white men.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of controversy
Verb
  • Both trips include a stop at the town jail after brawling with the locals, albeit this time John’s the one behind bars instead of Hal.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The teams brawled on the outside for minutes, but the chants started up again.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spat

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