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 over tariffs isn’t really about taxing $20 billion of Canadian imports. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 Mistry was ousted from his role in 2016 following public spats with Ratan Tata, who at the time was heading the Tata Trust. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 14 Aug. 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
  • After an initial investigation, BPD determined an altercation that occurred on the porch led to the stabbing of the man.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That was because, as OutKick's Ian Miller wrote, the university had pulled the outlet's credentials because of a report about a locker room altercation that resulted in the dismissal of senior safety Jacob Fields.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of altercation
Verb
  • Kimmel and Damon then bicker over who has a rightful paternal claim to the child, culminating in a pitch-perfect spoof of Maury featuring Short as Povich.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026
  • There’s striker Josie Gordon, bickering twin sisters Siobhan and Niamh, glove-shunning goalie Katie ‘Boots’ Quinn and couple Maddie and Margy.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • Two rail gauges will meet The CKU project has adopted a dual-gauge design to resolve the long-standing technical dispute.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Countries are typically expected to attempt to resolve disputes before bringing them to the court.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of dispute
Verb
  • One controversial second of game clock later, Michigan fans were swarming the field to celebrate a Hail Mary that many impartial observers argued shouldn’t have happened.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Gates argued that government and civil society need to move much more quickly.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of argue
Noun
  • Look, says everyone, at the movement of the heavens, look at the public, look at that man’s quarrel, at this man’s pulse, at another man’s will; in short, always look high or low, or to one side, or in front, or behind you.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The Department of Defense’s quarrel with Anthropic began earlier this year after the company refused to remove internal safety guardrails that would prevent the military from using its Claude AI model in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Verb
  • Their arrival is also welcome for many locals, battered by the economic impact of the Iran war their American visitors were fighting.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
  • When ships are fighting in narrow waterways under heavy surveillance, visibility quickly becomes a deadly liability.
    — HOLMES LIAO, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fight
Noun
  • After many decades of organizing, speaking, writing, agitating — and weathering the constant controversy that courted — Steinem kept going.
    — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
  • George Lucas, for his part, has suggested that bringing the Lucas Museum to fruition—a project beset by delays and controversy that has taken nearly a decade to realize—was a herculean effort.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of controversy
Verb
  • The teams brawled on the outside for minutes, but the chants started up again.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Well, maybe everyone except for the fans escorted out of the right-field bleachers after brawling, another clip that went viral on social media.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 19 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 9 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spat

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