squabble
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- squabbler noun
- squabblingly adverb
- unsquabbling adjective
Etymology
Origin of squabble
1595–1605; probably < Scandinavian; compare Swedish dialect skvabbel a quarrel, gossip, Norwegian dialect skvabba to prattle
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.
When the next streetcar rolls in, the upper deck fills with a gaggle of schoolgirls, squabbling over who gets the window seat closest to the sea breeze.
From Barron's
She continued: "When you take out a major leader, there's a detonation of a struggle to take control in that vacuum. So, you'll see these squabbles for power in different parts of the country."
From BBC
Her teenage characters are more preoccupied with crushes and exams than bombs and checkpoints, and their daily squabbles and concerns helped give the show "universal" appeal.
From Barron's
“She probably needed a break from all your squabbling,” Dad says.
From Literature
They teased and squabbled and chased each other, jumping over my sleeping mat and a little table I’d made.
From Literature
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.
