squabble

1 of 2

noun

squab·​ble ˈskwä-bəl 

: a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over petty matters

squabble

2 of 2

verb

squabbled; squabbling ˈskwä-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to quarrel noisily and usually over petty matters

squabbler

ˈskwä-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• altercation
• argle-bargle [chiefly British]
• argument
• argy-bargy [chiefly British]
• battle royal
• bicker
• brawl
• contretemps
• controversy
• cross fire
• disagreement
• dispute
• donnybrook
• falling-out
• fight
• hassle
• imbroglio
• kickup
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• rhubarb
• row
• scrap
• set-to
• spat
• tiff
• wrangle

Verb

• altercate
• argue
• argufy
• bicker
• brabble
• brawl
• controvert
• dispute
• fall out
• fight
• hassle
• jar
• quarrel
• quibble
• row
• scrap
• spat
• tiff
• wrangle

Choose the Right Synonym for squabble

quarrel, wrangle, altercation, squabble mean a noisy dispute usually marked by anger.

quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

Examples of squabble in a Sentence

Noun

frightened by noise of the squabble, the cat hid under the couch

Verb

The children were squabbling over the toys.

the children squabbled loudly over who got to play with the toy first

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The same squabble Pooja is having over her neighbor’s backyard trap is playing out in villages across Mauritius. —Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025

The latest iteration of the solar squabble has been fueled by California’s wildly escalating electricity prices. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025

Verb

The veteran pair also squabble over the ball like teenagers when trying to retrieve it out of the net after Portugal’s opening goal. —Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025

The same figure fits seamlessly into competing narratives, suggesting the totalizing intractability of their opposition—the two sides are left squabbling over ownership of the facts like a couple splitting marital assets. —Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skvabbel dispute

First Known Use

Noun

1602, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for squabble

• bauble
• cobble
• gobble
• hobble
• labile
• wobble
• cantabile

Kids Definition

squabble

1 of 2 noun

squab·​ble ˈskwäb-əl 

: a noisy quarrel usually over unimportant things

squabble

2 of 2 verb

squabbled; squabbling ˈskwäb-(ə-)liŋ 

: to quarrel noisily for little or no reason : wrangle

squabbler

-(ə-)lər 

noun