bicker
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle.
The two were always bickering.
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Literary. to rush or make a rushing sound, as water.
We first heard and then saw the stream bickering down the valley.
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The sun bickered through the trees.
noun
noun
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any wooden dish or bowl, especially a wooden porridge bowl.
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Obsolete. a wooden drinking cup.
verb
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to argue over petty matters; squabble
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poetic
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(esp of a stream) to run quickly
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to flicker; glitter
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have bickeredperfect
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has bickeredperfect 3rd person singular
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has been bickeringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is bickeringprogressive 3rd person singular
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are bickeringprogressive
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am bickeringprogressive 1st person singular
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bickeringparticiple
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bickerssingular 3rd person
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have been bickeringperfect progressive
Past
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had bickeredperfect
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was bickeringprogressive singular
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were bickeringprogressive plural
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had been bickeringperfect progressive
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bickeredsimple
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bickeredparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of bicker1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bikeren; origin unknown
Origin of bicker2
1300–50; Middle English biker beaker
Explanation
When you bicker, you argue in a petty way, like two kids squabbling in the backseat on a long car trip, or politicians taking cheap shots at each other but avoiding discussion of important issues. It's impossible to bicker in a dignified way, as the word always suggests pettiness and an unpleasant experience for anyone within earshot. If, for instance, you've listened for years to your ill-tempered aunt from Boise bicker with your uncle from Dubuque over how the Thanksgiving turkey should be carved, you might want to book a trip to Tierra del Fuego and avoid the holiday altogether.
Vocabulary lists containing bicker
The Outsiders
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Nothing But the Truth
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
BICKER, BIQUOUR, s. a small wooden dish, made in the form of a washing-tub, the staves being alternately black and white.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Leighton, Alexander
To BICKER, v. a. to fight with stones as schoolboys; to run off quickly.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Leighton, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
