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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spat
Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Feb. 2026
In China, consumerism appears to outweigh nationalism regardless of how testy relations have become in recent diplomatic spats with countries like Japan and the United States.
—Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 10 Feb. 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
They were caught on camera, and their spat became national news, including a massive eight-page feature in the New York Daily News.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Feb. 2026
In China, consumerism appears to outweigh nationalism regardless of how testy relations have become in recent diplomatic spats with countries like Japan and the United States.
—Chan Ho-Him, Fortune, 10 Feb. 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
-
Dorgan had attended other hockey games without issue, and there’s no evidence so far that an altercation had occurred at the rink before the killings.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
-
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Transformers actor was arrested in New Orleans after an alleged physical altercation outside of a Royal Street business.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her grandparents are constantly bickering, worn down by the pressures of keeping the family hotel afloat.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The choice not to pick a team has left fans bickering with each other.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When disputes arise, most can be kept behind closed doors.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The top pros were held out of the last two Winter Olympics, in 2018 over a dispute between the players and the IOC, and in 2022 because of COVID-19 interruptions in scheduling.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, some rank-and-file Democrats are still floating the idea of funding everything except ICE and Customs and Border Protection, arguing those agencies are already funded and should be isolated from other key government functions.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Vedam’s supporters believe investigators fixated on him as the lone suspect at the expense of other legitimate leads, arguing that his ethnicity played a role in how authorities homed in on him in the early days of the case and at trial.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The victim was stabbed multiple times in the back as the quarrel escalated, police said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
This time, the quarrel between state and Hamilton County leaders is about language, slipped into a lengthy bill, that would nullify rental cap ordinances.—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When her parents fought, Roberts Giuffre would huddle with her little brother, covering his ears.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Mayweather has fought in eight exhibition matches since, the last one coming against John Gotti III — the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti — in Mexico City in August 2024.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The San Francisco native has been surrounded by controversy for many years, with global scrutiny and media coverage reaching a fever pitch during her 2022 Olympics debut in Beijing.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Last year’s festival, the first under Tuttle’s leadership, was largely free of such controversies.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Rose then brawled with another user who accused the ambassador of interfering in Polish politics.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Feb. 2026
-
As the man brawls with his in-laws, the boy is caught between two worlds, of male rage and female subjection.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
