altercation
Americannoun
-
altercations
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of altercation
1350–1400; Middle English altercacioun < Latin altercātiōn- (stem of altercātiō ). See altercate, -ion
Explanation
Altercation is a nicer word for "quarrel," which is a nicer word for "fight." Fight is a simple, effective one-syllable word, while quarrel is a softer, two-syllable word, and altercation is a very civilized-sounding four-syllable word for the same uncivilized thing: a noisy argument between angry people. Someone who gets a black eye fighting for a parking spot might — after cooling down — describe the incident as an altercation rather than as a knock-down, drag-out brawl.
Vocabulary lists containing altercation
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Grade 9, List 3
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Ghost
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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:
Former USC and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez plans to enter a guilty plea in connection with his physical altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis last October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Penman said it was not obvious but he did agree that the person filming "seemingly started recording prior to any physical altercation going on".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Airline flydubai has said all the passengers -- of whom 166 out of 174 were Israeli, according to media reports -- were safe, but that the reasons for the altercation were unknown.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Brown was involved in a January 2013 altercation with singer Frank Ocean.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
On the night of February 26, 2012, Martin had engaged in an altercation with Zimmerman, who was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the Sanford, Florida, gated community in which the confrontation took place.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
And the week leading up to El Clasico for Real was dominated less by football and more by dressing-room unrest, player altercations and internal disciplinary action.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
As a result, the public has been kept from one of the chief ways it has to hold officers involved in such altercations accountable: their identity.
From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026
Harteveldt said these close quarters often lead to altercations on flights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
The Diddy trial has been full of nonstop drama: from constant bickering between the legal teams to outbursts and altercations inside and outside the courthouse, all peppering a constant stream of utterly shocking testimonies.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2025
Plus, I probably would've had less altercations because my brother could've talked me out of some of them.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
