: a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over petty matters
Synonyms
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
Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The rejection of the plan sends Kelly and GOP leadership back to the drawing board after nearly two years of squabbles over Kansas’ income tax structure.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
This set the stage for a series of family squabbles that pitted him against his siblings and mother and culminated in 1994 when Abilio purchased most of their shares and became the majority owner.
—Fabiola Moura, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
In Ukraine, Western squabbles and policy misfires have given Vladimir Putin reason to hope that victory might be heading his way.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 18 Dec. 2023
Alex’s sixty-minute set consisted of witty rants on the quotidian vexations of life, such as squabbles with Internet bullies and an awkward first date.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
The popular former governor, known for his independence and common sense, has been supporting Israel as his Democratic rivals squabble for left-wing votes.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 23 Mar. 2024
Plus, one of the veteran rapper’s most recent online squabbles included a duel with Latto in 2022 over genre categorization at the Grammys.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024
Rap beef is as old as time, and true hip-hop heads can recall the lyrical squabbles of female MCs like Roxanne Shanté and Queen Latifah, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 31 Jan. 2024
Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Now the country’s historically squabbling opposition is trying to agree on a unity candidate all factions can support.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
But in the future, Jews might even remember him as the leader who inflicted the most harm on his people since the squabbling Hasmonean kings brought civil war and Roman occupation to Judea nearly 21 centuries ago.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
And as lawmakers continue to squabble over budgets and bills, Americans may want to pay attention to three issues in particular that could affect their wallets.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024
The looser and more experimental new season, which débuted this summer, finds the men squabbling over who’s unhappier.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
Congress slapped it down, as lawmakers squabbled to reach an agreement on a temporary measure to keep the federal government's lights on.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024
Brooks, 35, and Dr. Al Madani, 37, meanwhile, squabbled over parenting advice.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
The two sides recently squabbled over who would support the striking auto unions in Michigan and raced to visit their picket lines.
—Desirée Leclercq, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
His compulsion to squabble is fundamentally social.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The rejection of the plan sends Kelly and GOP leadership back to the drawing board after nearly two years of squabbles over Kansas’ income tax structure.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
This set the stage for a series of family squabbles that pitted him against his siblings and mother and culminated in 1994 when Abilio purchased most of their shares and became the majority owner.
—Fabiola Moura, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
In Ukraine, Western squabbles and policy misfires have given Vladimir Putin reason to hope that victory might be heading his way.
—Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 18 Dec. 2023
Alex’s sixty-minute set consisted of witty rants on the quotidian vexations of life, such as squabbles with Internet bullies and an awkward first date.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
The popular former governor, known for his independence and common sense, has been supporting Israel as his Democratic rivals squabble for left-wing votes.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 23 Mar. 2024
Plus, one of the veteran rapper’s most recent online squabbles included a duel with Latto in 2022 over genre categorization at the Grammys.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024
Rap beef is as old as time, and true hip-hop heads can recall the lyrical squabbles of female MCs like Roxanne Shanté and Queen Latifah, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 31 Jan. 2024
Verb
Other candidates and committees are an afterthought, left to squabble over his scraps.
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Now the country’s historically squabbling opposition is trying to agree on a unity candidate all factions can support.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
But in the future, Jews might even remember him as the leader who inflicted the most harm on his people since the squabbling Hasmonean kings brought civil war and Roman occupation to Judea nearly 21 centuries ago.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
And as lawmakers continue to squabble over budgets and bills, Americans may want to pay attention to three issues in particular that could affect their wallets.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024
The looser and more experimental new season, which débuted this summer, finds the men squabbling over who’s unhappier.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
Congress slapped it down, as lawmakers squabbled to reach an agreement on a temporary measure to keep the federal government's lights on.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024
Brooks, 35, and Dr. Al Madani, 37, meanwhile, squabbled over parenting advice.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
The two sides recently squabbled over who would support the striking auto unions in Michigan and raced to visit their picket lines.
—Desirée Leclercq, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squabble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skvabbel dispute
Dictionary Entries Near squabble
Cite this Entry
“Squabble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squabble. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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
More from Merriam-Webster on squabble
Nglish: Translation of squabble for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of squabble for Arabic Speakers
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