feud
1 Americannoun
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Also called blood feud. a bitter, continuous hostility, especially between two families, clans, etc., often lasting for many years or generations.
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a bitter quarrel or contention.
a feud between labor and management.
- Synonyms:
- difference, argument
verb (used without object)
noun
noun
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long and bitter hostility between two families, clans, or individuals; vendetta
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a quarrel or dispute
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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feudsimple
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feudssimple
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have feudedperfect
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has feudedperfect
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am feudingprogressive
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are feudingprogressive
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is feudingprogressive
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have been feudingperfect progressive
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has been feudingperfect progressive
Past
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feudedsimple
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had feudedperfect
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was feudingprogressive
-
were feudingprogressive
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had been feudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feud1
1300–50; variant of fead ( a misread as u ), Middle English fede < Middle French fe ( i ) de < Old High German fēhida; cognate with Old English fǣhth enmity. See foe, -th 1
Origin of feud2
1605–15; < Medieval Latin feudum, variant of feodum. See fee
Explanation
A feud is a long-standing fight, often between two families. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare describes the lovers' long-feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Feuds do not have to be violent—what characterizes them is long-standing hostility. Ethnic groups can sometimes be said to be feuding. Kids in school who refuse to sit at the same lunch table over a period of years could describe their relationship as a feud.
Vocabulary lists containing feud
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story"
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"The Interlopers" and "An Interview with the King of Terror"
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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.
See Examples For:
Unfortunately, one of the people who paid the ultimate price in this feud is Anna’s coworker, whom she couldn’t leave out of her personal problems.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
China remains locked in a simmering trade feud with the EU, with which it recorded a trade surplus of $32.9 billion in June.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Less than three dozen people picketed outside of OpenAI’s offices, but the demonstration sparked a bitter feud on an effective altruist forum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
A podcast that ends an ancient beef: On Slate’s ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay reveals she’s in an unspoken, decade-long Venmo feud, and then gets some expert help on bringing it to a close.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Hassan and the physician’s feud wasn’t good for anyone.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
He has been in a few social media feuds, including at least one with Elon Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The figures and feuds are too numerous to list, but they share a common intensity.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026
He narrowly escaped being killed several times and fled to Central America at the height of one of the particularly violent feuds, turning his attention instead to investing in casinos.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
Since Touadera was first elected in 2016 in the middle of a bloody civil war, the CAR has seen unrest ease despite ongoing feuds between armed groups and the government in some regions.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
The ambitions of the Romans and the victories of the Moors, the royal feuds of Europe.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Benjamin Latrobe, who replaced Thornton as architect of the Capitol, feuded with Commissioner of Public Buildings Samuel Lane, who had a disabled arm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Members of his team have feuded over policy.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
Other critics included far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is Jewish and who has feuded with both Carlson and Fuentes in recent months.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2025
In the past, Banks has feuded with numerous musicians including Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Iggy Azalea, Rihanna and Doechii, among several others.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
She had feuded for years with another picker named Bertha, who finally put a curse on her.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Over the course of a few days, this bashful teen, always armed with her camcorder and far less free-spirited than her cousins, will be beset by her father’s feuding family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Now Kostrzewa, who heads a business union, is appealing to both sides to set the feuding aside and focus on the economy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
JPMorgan, one of 23 banks on the deal, will earn about $75 million in fees despite past feuding between Dimon and Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
He also called on Philippine Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who is feuding with the Duterte political dynasty, to file a local case against him if he believed him to be guilty.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Werfel considered telling the whole story, which involved feuding families, a cruel son, a jade amulet, and a burning salamander, but it didn’t really seem like a good time.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
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.
