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Synonyms

squabble

American  
[skwob-uhl] / ˈskwɒb əl /

verb (used without object)

squabbled, squabbling

  1. to engage in a petty quarrel.

    Synonyms:
    fight, bicker, wrangle, quarrel

verb (used with object)

squabbled, squabbling

  1. Printing. to disarrange and mix (composed type).

noun

  1. a petty quarrel.

squabble British  
/ ˈskwɒbəl /

verb

  1. (intr) to quarrel over a small matter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a petty quarrel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

There was a time when the public picked a team in the Murdoch family’s squabble.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

This makes Anthropic’s squabble with the Pentagon over the use of its tools even more disturbing and shortsighted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

And like in any squabble, there will be a winner and a loser.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 25, 2026

Kamto was ruled out because a rival faction of the Manidem party which endorsed him presented another individual as a candidate, highlighting an internal squabble.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

We squabble in whispers and monosyllables about whose turn it is to wash: drying with a clammy tea towel isn’t as good as washing, which warms up your hands.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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.