altercation

[awl-ter-key-shuhn]

noun

1. a heated or angry dispute; noisy argument or controversy.

   Synonyms: tiff, squabble, clash, disagreement, quarrel

altercation

/ ˌɔːltəˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. an angry or heated discussion or quarrel; argument

Word History and Origins

Origin of altercation¹

1350–1400; Middle English altercacioun < Latin altercātiōn- (stem of altercātiō ). See altercate, -ion

Example Sentences

Amin had previously been paired with Sanchez, who is facing a felony battery charge after a physical altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis last month.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His arrest came nearly five months after a warrant was issued on an attempted murder charge stemming from an altercation outside a celebrity kickboxing event in spring in Miami.

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Despite his success at club level, Young never made a senior appearance for Scotland due to a lifetime ban incurred following an altercation at a Danish nightclub.

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An altercation started when they asked him to put the knife down, and he stabbed one of the officers before being handcuffed on the floor, the force said.

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According to Robinson’s guardian, the attack was connected to a previous altercation between the same two groups of teens.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• argument 
• bickering 
• blowup 
• brawl 
• flap 
• fracas 
• quarrel 
• run-in 
• tiff 
• wrangle