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
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Recent Examples of spat
Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
The temperamental Moon and passionate Mars are in a spat, but their abrupt energy can have beneficial effects for your wider circle and your more intimate connections.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2026
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 case is the latest point of friction in an escalating spat between Japan and China, surfaced Tuesday after Beijing protested to Tokyo.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
The temperamental Moon and passionate Mars are in a spat, but their abrupt energy can have beneficial effects for your wider circle and your more intimate connections.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2026
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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Security broke up the altercation, but the fight resumed outside in the parking lot, prompting security at UWM Sports Complex to call the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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In the video, recorded by Mortensen on his cellphone, Paul can be seen screaming and throwing metal chairs, one of which struck one of her children who witnessed the altercation, according to the criminal indictment.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the time of the invite, Congress was furiously bickering over a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, as Democrats refused to allocate funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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Pointing to elk heads mounted on the wall, the two jokingly bickered over who had bowhunted which.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are also disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes in the north-central and northwestern part of the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Federal Trade Commission and StubHub this week settled a dispute over allegations that StubHub concealed the actual, total prices of tickets over a three-day period in May 2025.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Steyer argued that California should restructure the market and expand alternative fuel sources, including importing refined fuel if necessary.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The case was originally set in Wise County but later moved to Tarrant County after defense attorneys argued for a change of venue, saying the defendant wouldn’t receive a fair trial in Wise County.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This disagreement became our favorite quarrel.—
Elisa Wouk Almino
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Department of Defense’s quarrel with the Anthropic began after the company refused to back down over contractual guardrails around the use of its Claude AI model in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.—
Devan Cole,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Like there was a demon in his lungs, fighting the last bit of banishment.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that causes vision loss — and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.—
Chase Jordan
April 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The massive road project, decades in planning, has been enveloped in controversy even before getting underway.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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In August 2022, 10 miners died when the El Pinabete coal mine in Coahuila flooded — a disaster that sparked intense controversy by revealing how many Mexican laborers work without essential safety protections or official supervision.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On April 3, after UCLA defeated University of Texas in the Final Four, Close apologized to the fans in an ESPN interview about how the two teams brawled over each point.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2026
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Massive crowds were packed shoulder-to-shoulder, dancing wildly, brawling and turning the shoreline into a scene of disorder right before multiple gunshots sent thousands sprinting in panic.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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