quarrel
1 Americannoun
-
an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations.
- Synonyms:
- fight, difference, controversy, contention, argument
-
a cause of dispute, complaint, or hostile feeling.
She has no quarrel with her present salary.
verb (used without object)
-
quarrels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quarreled,
past participle, past
-
quarrelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
quarreling,
present participle
-
quarrelling
present participle (especially British)
noun
-
a square-headed bolt or arrow, formerly used with a crossbow.
-
Also a small, square or diamond-shaped pane of glass, as used in latticed windows.
-
any of various tools with pyramidal heads.
noun
-
an angry disagreement; argument
-
a cause of disagreement or dispute; grievance
verb
-
to engage in a disagreement or dispute; argue
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to find fault; complain
noun
-
an arrow having a four-edged head, fired from a crossbow
-
a small square or diamond-shaped pane of glass, usually one of many in a fixed or casement window and framed with lead
Synonym Usage
Quarrel, dissension refer to disagreement and conflict. Quarrel applies chiefly to a verbal disagreement between individuals or groups and is used with reference to a large variety of situations, from a slight and petty difference of opinion to a violent altercation: It was little more than a domestic quarrel. Their quarrel led to the barroom brawl. Dissension usually implies a profound disagreement and bitter conflict. It also applies chiefly to conflict within a group or to members of the same group: dissension within the union; dissension among the Democrats.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
quarrelsimple
-
quarrelssimple
-
have quarreledperfect
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have quarrelledperfect
-
has quarreledperfect
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has quarrelledperfect
-
am quarrelingprogressive
-
am quarrellingprogressive
-
are quarrelingprogressive
-
are quarrellingprogressive
-
is quarrelingprogressive
-
is quarrellingprogressive
-
have been quarrelingperfect progressive
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have been quarrellingperfect progressive
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has been quarrelingperfect progressive
-
has been quarrellingperfect progressive
Past
-
quarreledsimple
-
quarrelledsimple
-
had quarreledperfect
-
had quarrelledperfect
-
was quarrelingprogressive
-
was quarrellingprogressive
-
were quarrelingprogressive
-
were quarrellingprogressive
-
had been quarrelingperfect progressive
-
had been quarrellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quarrel1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English querele, from Old French, from Latin querēla, querella “complaint,” noun derivative of querī “to complain”
Origin of quarrel2
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English quarel, from Old French, from Medieval Latin quadrellus, diminutive of Latin quadrus “square”
Explanation
To quarrel is to fight — but usually not physically. Quarreling is a fact of life, occurring between the best of friends, in the happiest of marriages, and between parents and their children. You’re probably familiar with the verb, quarrel, meaning having a disagreement. When there’s a quarrel, there’s anger. As a noun, quarrel, refers to the square-headed arrow shot from crossbow. This meaning of the word comes from the Old French quarel, relating to "square.” If you are quarreling, just don't reach for your crossbow and quarrel.
Vocabulary lists containing quarrel
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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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:
There’s an assumption that the second half is Shakespeare’s, but scholars continue to quarrel over attribution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
My quarrel with DEI has never been that it takes chances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
I had no quarrel with Cole recounting that lamentable story alongside mine, but we did have one occasional difference of emphasis.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Maksim, eight, lists everything he has learnt in his patriotic education lessons: about great Russian poets and painters, about friendship and how not to quarrel.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Nothing had happened—no momentous quarrel, no significant incident—rather, they had simply drifted apart, but it was Kainene who now anchored herself firmly in a distant place so that they could not drift back together.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Throughout our history, major domestic quarrels have erupted over economics: the prairie rebellion of the 1890s, the Progressive era, the New Deal.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
The two preachers have previously been detained by authorities, the most recent being in January, when they were summoned by police for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
To avoid any quarrels, I suggest timing any stock sale, with the beneficiaries’ cooperation, so that no one inadvertently misses out on a dividend payment.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Mr. Zipperstein suggests that the real drama was not in the bedroom but at the writing desk, where Roth’s quarrels with himself became art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
There were many quarrels among people who didn't get along with one another, and there was an interesting case, a dispute between a tailor and a farmer.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
“You’ve quarreled with everyone,” Wilde’s old friend Frank Harris once despairingly informed Douglas, adding that “you have the most imperious temper I’ve ever met.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
She added: “I knew he was unhappy at home. I wasn’t the little sweet coffee-tea-or-me wife. We quarreled a lot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
Whereas Jagger and Richards were the more outspoken members and principal songwriters who famously quarreled in their heyday, the more even-keeled Watts could rock a stadium, seemingly without breaking a sweat.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
Some San Cristóbal residents have even quarreled with Spanish-language professors and authorities at the Canarian Language Academy who contend that this way of speaking equates to nothing more than a linguistic game.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 12, 2023
I seem to remember that small cities in ancient Greece quarreled bitterly over which was the birthplace of Homer.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
But it has quarrelled with neighbours and allies since taking power.
From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2022
In many of these cases, passengers have quarrelled with their flight attendants over mask use.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2021
Here, in the legendary birthplace of AI, they quarrelled over what to call their still-slumbering creation.
From Nature ● Oct. 1, 2019
When the two men quarrelled at a dinner in Manchester Square in London, Phillips witnessed Beckett’s artistic intransigence at first hand.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2019
"Aye. A man named Falconer. The man you quarrelled wi' outside the Globe that day."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Written by Mr. Carney and Peter McDonald, who also contributes a funny supporting turn as one of Rick’s band mates, it stumbles into a bog of bitterness, quarreling and unseemly behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
For much of the production, directed by George C. Wolfe, I was quibbling and quarreling with the reigning queen of Broadway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2025
The quarreling threatens to undermine conservation goals because all decisions must be unanimous.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
Police said they didn’t know if the girl, who was a DuVal student, was involved with either of the quarreling groups.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
They were quarreling and decorating and cleaning up after big meals, tipsy from mulled wine, watching uplifting old movies.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
According to the police, "there was a tense atmosphere and some quarrelling".
From Barron's ● May 16, 2026
The quarrelling neighbors haven’t met in a test series in 16 years and one-day international and Twenty20 series in 10 years.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
When asked about a possible meeting with the Syrian leader, Erdogan said, there was no eternal resentment or quarrelling in politics, according to a readout of comments he made during his flight back from Bali.
From Reuters ● Nov. 17, 2022
"We are told that the couple had issues and were quarrelling before," police chief Francis Wahome told AFP.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2021
They were all hatching, all quarrelling, all friendly nevertheless.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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