as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
a loud quarrel erupted at the next table over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
the coach and the referee quarreled about whether the ball was in bounds
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 quarrel
Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Jan. 2025
Delaney, the lead official, broke his right pinky while trying to break up the quarrel.
—Jason Quick, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
As the legend goes, the chiefs of two quarreling nations smoked a pipe together before resolving their weeklong dispute.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrel
Noun
He’s been the attorney general for the state the last eight years, regularly an ally of litigation-ready Gov. Roy Cooper in quarrels with the Legislature.
—Alan Wooten | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Jan. 2025
Delaney, the lead official, broke his right pinky while trying to break up the quarrel.
—Jason Quick, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
The students might represent different aspects of a quarrelling inner self.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
As the legend goes, the chiefs of two quarreling nations smoked a pipe together before resolving their weeklong dispute.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quarrel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quarrel
Noun
-
In the filing, Village Roadshow framed its ongoing arbitration dispute with Warner Bros. over The Matrix Resurrections as a turning point, effectively ending what had been its most lucrative business arrangement.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Mar. 2025
-
In December 2023, Majors was found guilty of assault and harassment of his former girlfriend, stemming from a domestic dispute that took place in March of that year.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The 39-year-old victim and her boyfriend, identified by sources as 34-year-old Daquan Spence, bickered over smokes in their apartment on 155th St. near Baisley Blvd.—
Elizabeth Keogh,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Without politics to bicker over or political visions to debate, the candidates mostly pitched themselves and their personal connections to the community.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The 18-year-old’s boyfriend was seen in the footage attempting to stop the altercation.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The sole witness to the altercation was the car’s driver, who testified at the trial through an Urdu language translator.—
Rebecca Keegan,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The big picture: Democrats have hammered Trump and Elon Musk for their approach to slicing federal agencies, arguing the administration has cut positions and programs without a clear understanding of the consequences.—
Stephen Neukam,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Indeed, some analysts remain bullish — for example, ARK Invest famously projects massive long-term upside for Tesla, and Wedbush’s Dan Ives argues that autonomous tech is the holy grail that will eventually vindicate Tesla’s valuation.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Daylight saving time isn’t going away anytime soon While all but two states in the U.S. continue to observe daylight saving time, there is still disagreement about whether the practice should be eliminated or made permanent.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Under the current system, the council’s discretion to overturn such decisions is limited to when there has been a procedural error — not a disagreement about historic value.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
If the Cold War’s central ideological struggle of communism versus capitalism was between states, this new ideological struggle of illiberal nationalism versus liberal internationalism is being fought primarily within states.—
Michael McFaul,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Mills now fights to preserve her state’s refusal to keep men out of women’s sports.—
James Erwin,
National Review,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
No controversies, no real debates over it being overrated.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
-
The estate, at the edge of Chico State’s campus, served as a cultural touchstone and educational space for generations of Chico residents, but not without controversy.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The first is that when U.S. soldiers returned from the war there, protesters spat upon them in disdain.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
Foreign Affairs,
19 May 2016
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Quarrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quarrel. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share