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.
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Recent Examples of spat
Lora Kolodny,ari Levy, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Slip one of these spats from GIR into your suitcase for all of your mixing needs.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
South Carolina was on the east bank and Georgia on the west; the temperature was in the fifties, and gray clouds spat water in our faces.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Noun
Musk’s attacks on Navarro represent the most public spat between members of President Trump’s inner circle since the term began in January, and show that the steep tariffs announced last week on more than 180 countries and territories don’t have universal approval in the administration.
—Lora Kolodny,ari Levy, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Slip one of these spats from GIR into your suitcase for all of your mixing needs.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
South Carolina was on the east bank and Georgia on the west; the temperature was in the fifties, and gray clouds spat water in our faces.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
Noun
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Panthers center Sam Bennett, who had a contentious altercation with Marchand in Round 2 of the playoffs last year, said Marchand’s first message after being added to the team group chat was a chirp.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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The footage shows an altercation between Perez and a man that officials say lasted for about 15 minutes before officers arrived on the scene.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Sorrell also said bickering by leadership is affecting the community.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
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Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks squabble over Cyprus in the background, the men before us quarrel over everything—a woman, a job, a handkerchief.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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The basketball star has a reputation for being able to silence media noise in the most crucial moments, but the family element of this quarrel seems to have hit a little too close to home this time.—
Christian Orozco,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And some would argue that the lawsuits from NYT and others against OpenAI or other model companies represent a case of this.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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At the start of proceedings, prosecutors presented their case by arguing Yoon lacked the legal grounds to declare martial law and accused him of trying to paralyse state institutions such as parliament.—
Joyce Lee,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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No arrests were made, and there was no further investigation into the dispute.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Approach with caution, look at reviews, and maybe don’t use your main credit card (or at least keep your bank’s dispute line handy).—
Francesca Krempa,
StyleCaster,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As the war lurched into its fourth year, Russian losses of tanks, fighting vehicles and other heavy equipment had exceeded 20,000, according to the analysts at the Oryx intelligence collective, which confirms each loss with imagery from the front line.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
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The court fight over Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia is a most unusual one in that no one denies that the government violated the law in deporting him.—
The Editors,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The sort-of antagonist in The Last of Us Part II first stirred up controversy when the game originally debuted in 2020.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
13 Apr. 2025
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Up next, a ubiquitous presence on television, unafraid of controversy, sounding off on everything from sports to pop culture to politics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Punk and Rollins brawled, and the brawl ended when Rollins outsmarted Punk and hit him with a Stomp.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Punk cut an insanely good promo, addressing Cena’s heel turn and ultimately brawling with Seth Rollins.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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