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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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of spat
Charna Flam, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Emani Ellis' lawsuit, which was first filed in February 2020, alleged Cardi spat on her and scratched her nose during an altercation outside of an obstetrician's office.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Kareem Khadder, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Noun
Ellis then claimed that Cardi cut her face with a fingernail and spat on her while yelling profanity and racial slurs at Ellis.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Emani Ellis' lawsuit, which was first filed in February 2020, alleged Cardi spat on her and scratched her nose during an altercation outside of an obstetrician's office.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
Noun
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The Buffalo Bills ejected the fan who got into an altercation with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson during Sunday night’s game at Highmark Stadium.—
Jenna West,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The altercation happened with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter of the game.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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The crew members bicker among themselves.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While unconfirmed, we’re told that the film sees Louise, the alcoholic mother of Mike (Hechinger) and Tommy, take off after a quarrel with her husband Lester — walking with her dog to the home of her brother Frank, quite a few miles away.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
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The quarrel continued to escalate, spurring Ates to send the man his location.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Penske’s complaint argues that practice isn’t a fair exchange and has caused significant financial harm, with the company’s affiliate revenue falling by more than a third (as a result of Google’s AI Overviews co-opting traffic that might have otherwise gone to Penske outlets).—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Critics and rights groups argued that both the ban and the bill function as tools for censorship, threatening freedom of expression, press freedom and fundamental rights.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The dispute was heard by an arbitrator (and not a judge) because, per SPAC language and accompanying NBPA regulations, player-agent disputes are subject to arbitration.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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The dishwasher was made in America, though there is some dispute over who did it.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
How do Flock cameras help fight crime?—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
These medications can lower the number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that helps fight bacterial infections.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Brown became entangled in a controversy of her own this spring when she was indicted alongside her two adult daughters on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud used to falsely obtain pandemic relief loans.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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While some among Democrats cast him as the party’s national leader and a natural choice for their 2028 nominee, conservative critics point to his past controversies, including other pay-for-play stories.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sports could be dangerous even without brawling in UFC’s Octagon, an eight-sided cage.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Having a cyberarm might offset glitches in brawling attacks to encourage players to take more risk dice during a first fight.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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