feud
1 Americannoun
-
Also called blood feud. a bitter, continuous hostility, especially between two families, clans, etc., often lasting for many years or generations.
-
a bitter quarrel or contention.
a feud between labor and management.
- Synonyms:
- difference, argument
verb (used without object)
-
feuds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feuded,
past participle, past
-
feuding
present participle
noun
noun
-
long and bitter hostility between two families, clans, or individuals; vendetta
-
a quarrel or dispute
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
feudsimple
-
feudssimple
-
have feudedperfect
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has feudedperfect
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am feudingprogressive
-
are feudingprogressive
-
is feudingprogressive
-
have been feudingperfect progressive
-
has been feudingperfect progressive
Past
-
feudedsimple
-
had feudedperfect
-
was feudingprogressive
-
were feudingprogressive
-
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:
The tension at the heart of the primary—and the feud between El-Sayed and Stevens—is less a policy disagreement than a moral one.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Over the weekend, as Stevens' criticism of El-Sayed escalated, a number of Democratic politicians in Michigan publicly encouraged her to end the feud and back the party's candidates more directly.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
During the campaign she aired a public feud with Flavio, accusing him of mistreating her.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
The one thing Americans love more than a celebrity feud is taking sides and declaring a victor after each round, even if the opponents don’t realize they’re being pitted against each other.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
With the news announcement of Butler’s arrest, and his at least tentative identification as a member of Elijah Muhammad’s organization, tension reached a new high among all who had any role in the feud.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Unsurprisingly, her current focus is the aforementioned Hasan Piker, a man who is no stranger to controversy and has courted plenty of internet feuds of his own.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Murdoch, his business empire and his feuds with his six children have become rich pickings for authors, screenwriters and directors.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
As with many family feuds, the issue now seems to be who should apologize first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
His feed is packed with public health information, but also with bitter feuds - including with celebrities - conducted in a style many describe as rude.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Besides, his father and uncles were old, and the old lords were like that; they took their dusty feuds to the grave, forgetting nothing and forgiving less.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has feuded publicly with Yiannopoulos, celebrated his detention and claimed credit for alerting federal authorities to his immigration status in multiple posts on X.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Its release was surrounded by chatter of a fissure between the two leads, and the pair have since feuded publicly about each other’s behavior during and after filming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The Supreme Court ruling, which was made public on Tuesday, involved a former couple - two women - who had feuded over plans to sell their house and lot in suburban Manila.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
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
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
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, football’s most iconic sportscaster duo, are allegedly feuding.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
Hearn has been publicly feuding with UFC president White since the launch of Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
But they did not meet William and Kate, and whether the feuding siblings will reconcile has been among the many questions thrown up by their return.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A seer whose talent only seemed to arise when she needed to share bad news, Helaena was an unwelcome presence in her feuding family.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
He sold two feuding families a timeshare agreement for using the washing house on separate days.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
