as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
like any couple, they have their spats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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.
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Recent Examples of spat
Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Rare earths are something that China used some years ago in a spat with Japan.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Julia Frankel The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023
The one charged with assault spat on a person, while the others spat towards people, police said to explain the different charges.
—Kareem Khadder, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Noun
The boom comes as the tariff spat with Washington has kicked up nationalistic support in China, and a promise not to back down in its face-off with the US.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Rare earths are something that China used some years ago in a spat with Japan.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
The one charged with assault spat on a person, while the others spat towards people, police said to explain the different charges.
—Kareem Khadder, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
Noun
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In 2017, Charles, who played for the New York Knicks from 1988 to 1998, was asked to leave the arena after an altercation with a security guard.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
After the teens exited the vehicle, a physical altercation ensued.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The prosecutor told jurors that Flores had been bickering with and mocking the man, who was heavily restrained and moving slowly, while escorting him to a courthouse holding cell after the man had a court hearing last August.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Nov. 2025
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The pair bicker and bond their way through the whimsical Panda Kingdom, a vibrant world that blends the everyday with the extraordinary, carrying animals and humans alike into something at once magical and mundane.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Plus, a jury acquitted a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent, a deli and a cookbook author are in a trademark dispute, and more.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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While carriage disputes are nothing news, and Disney has had high-profile ones with DirecTV and Charter in recent years, the YouTube TV situation is unique.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The conviction was later vacated in 2016, after a new legal team argued that Max’s original trial lawyer had a conflict of interest in the case.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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Schumer on Saturday persisted in arguing that Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Margolick devotes much space to the writers’ quarrels, their gripes, their resentment of one another.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Marta and Antonio, partners of many years, quarrel and suddenly break up.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Players fought, fought, fought, gave us every chance in the world.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The season follows two Baird College students who have rekindled a tumultuous romance, but past actions and a controversy get in the way of their best intentions.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
12 Nov. 2025
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The Senate vote to temporarily reopen the government sparked intense controversy within the Democratic Party, as a small group of its senators joined Republicans in backing a deal that did not guarantee the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, a key Democratic priority.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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The two superstars immediately began brawling.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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