1
: a ground of dispute or complaint
have no quarrel with a different approach
2
: a usually verbal conflict between antagonists : altercation
quarreled or quarrelled; quarreling or quarrelling
1
: to find fault
many people quarrel with the idea—
Johns Hopkins Magazine
Johns Hopkins Magazine2
: to contend or dispute actively
quarreled frequently with his superiors—London Calling
London Calling
quarreler
noun
or quarreller
Synonyms
Examples of quarrel in a Sentence
Verb
The children quarrel all the time.
She and her husband are always quarreling about money.
I don't want to quarrel with you.
Recent Examples on the WebPrarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Burrell’s $56 million dispute with First Western has proven more contentious than his other banking quarrels.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The ruling is perhaps the most significant recent development in a bitter, ongoing quarrel in French society.
—Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023
Nicole Young continued feuding with Chrishell Stause and found herself in a heated quarrel with Emma Hernan.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Nov. 2023
For the past few weeks, audiences have tuned in as Hassan has had a multiple-episode quarrel with Erin Lichy that stemmed from a push in a pool on a girls trip to Anguilla.
—Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2023
The high rates of violence could have to do with the formation of political units vying for control, which may have escalated local quarrels to larger and more organized conflicts.
—Popular Science, 18 Oct. 2023
Likewise, quarrels related to a pet or even with health-care workers might arise.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024
The only triple homicide occurred on July 3 during a gang quarrel in a parking lot at an afterparty following a neighborhood celebration in Como.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2024
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
Not only does removing that election law take an awful lot of prestige, but succession laws such as partition can split your empire among quarrelling children.
—Barry Collins, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
On that day, many of the thermally fearful may have lost interest in quarreling over whether spring had truly established itself among us.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
Maliciously or willfully disturbing a funeral, memorial service, procession or burial ceremony.
Threatening, quarreling or challenging to fight someone, or fighting.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2024
As recently as the 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were quarreling over the placement of their border and their troops skirmished.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023
Often there are two birds quarreling back and forth with their raucous rattling.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, the film follows David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), two quarreling cousins who, following the death of their beloved grandmother, travel to Poland to visit the Majdanek concentration camp and learn about her past.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024
The Rus’ state had become fragmented, beset by quarrelling among its princes.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Noun
For example, the U.K.’s Tesco stopped stocking Kraft Heinz’s baked beans, ketchup, and tomato soup in 2022 over pricing quarrels.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024
Burrell’s $56 million dispute with First Western has proven more contentious than his other banking quarrels.
—Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The ruling is perhaps the most significant recent development in a bitter, ongoing quarrel in French society.
—Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023
Nicole Young continued feuding with Chrishell Stause and found herself in a heated quarrel with Emma Hernan.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Nov. 2023
For the past few weeks, audiences have tuned in as Hassan has had a multiple-episode quarrel with Erin Lichy that stemmed from a push in a pool on a girls trip to Anguilla.
—Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2023
The high rates of violence could have to do with the formation of political units vying for control, which may have escalated local quarrels to larger and more organized conflicts.
—Popular Science, 18 Oct. 2023
Likewise, quarrels related to a pet or even with health-care workers might arise.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024
The only triple homicide occurred on July 3 during a gang quarrel in a parking lot at an afterparty following a neighborhood celebration in Como.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Harry Potter author quarreled with Wizarding News, a 22-year-old fan site, on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
Not only does removing that election law take an awful lot of prestige, but succession laws such as partition can split your empire among quarrelling children.
—Barry Collins, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
On that day, many of the thermally fearful may have lost interest in quarreling over whether spring had truly established itself among us.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
Maliciously or willfully disturbing a funeral, memorial service, procession or burial ceremony.
Threatening, quarreling or challenging to fight someone, or fighting.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2024
As recently as the 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were quarreling over the placement of their border and their troops skirmished.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023
Often there are two birds quarreling back and forth with their raucous rattling.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, the film follows David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), two quarreling cousins who, following the death of their beloved grandmother, travel to Poland to visit the Majdanek concentration camp and learn about her past.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024
The Rus’ state had become fragmented, beset by quarrelling among its princes.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quarrel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quarrel
Cite this Entry
“Quarrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarrel. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quarrel
1 of 2 noun
quar·rel
ˈkwȯr(-ə)l 
ˈkwär(-ə)l
ˈkwär(-ə)l
1
: a cause of dispute or complaint
2
: an angry difference of opinion : dispute
quarrel
2 of 2 verb
quarreled or quarrelled; quarreling or quarrelling
1
: to find fault
I quarrel with your version of what happened
2
: to argue forcefully or loudly : squabble
quarreler
noun
or quarreller
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