altercate

American

[awl-ter-keyt] / ˈɔl tərˌkeɪt /

verb (used without object)

altercated, altercating

to argue or quarrel with zeal, heat, or anger; wrangle.

altercate British

/ ˈɔːltəˌkeɪt /

verb

(intr) to argue, esp heatedly; dispute

"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

Etymology

Origin of altercate

1530–40; < Latin altercātus (past participle of altercārī to quarrel), equivalent to *alterc ( us ) a disputing ( alter other + -cus formative suffix) + -ātus -ate ¹

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.

The essence of the law is altercation; for the law can altercate, fulminate, deprecate, irritate, and go on at any rate.

From A Lecture On Heads As Delivered By Mr. Charles Lee Lewes, To Which Is Added, An Essay On Satire, With Forty-Seven Heads By Nesbit, From Designs By Thurston, 1812 by Thurston, Katherine Cecil

As far as I can make out that means me and the rest of the battery altercate every other night.

From No title by

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023