bicker

¹ American  

[bik-er] / ˈbɪk ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle.

   The two were always bickering.

   Synonyms:

   spat, disagreement, argument, spat, spar, dispute, haggle, quarrel, argue, squabble, disagree

2. Literary. to rush or make a rushing sound, as water.

   We first heard and then saw the stream bickering down the valley.

3. to flicker; glitter.

   The sun bickered through the trees.

---

noun

1. an angry, petty dispute or quarrel; altercation.

bicker ² American  

[bik-er] / ˈbɪk ər /

noun

Scot.

1. any wooden dish or bowl, especially a wooden porridge bowl.

2. Obsolete. a wooden drinking cup.

---

bicker British  

/ ˈbɪkə /

verb

1. to argue over petty matters; squabble

2. poetic

   1. (esp of a stream) to run quickly

   2. to flicker; glitter

---

noun

1. a petty squabble

Other Word Forms

• bickerer noun
• bickering noun
• unbickered adjective

Etymology

Origin of bicker¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bikeren; origin unknown

Origin of bicker²

1300–50; Middle English biker beaker

Explanation

When you bicker, you argue in a petty way, like two kids squabbling in the backseat on a long car trip, or politicians taking cheap shots at each other but avoiding discussion of important issues. It's impossible to bicker in a dignified way, as the word always suggests pettiness and an unpleasant experience for anyone within earshot. If, for instance, you've listened for years to your ill-tempered aunt from Boise bicker with your uncle from Dubuque over how the Thanksgiving turkey should be carved, you might want to book a trip to Tierra del Fuego and avoid the holiday altogether.

Example Sentences

These days, pastel and fluorescent birds groom, preen and bicker in enclosures behind the home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Despite the stress of delivering the “Arirang” on time, the men never bicker or snipe at each other.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

But they can still take steps to reduce tension when older couples bicker about money.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel has Dr. Frankenstein bicker with his creature about her potential existence before deciding against it in fear that “she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

And here, in Lord Dunmore’s Regiment, the singers meet and exchange and bicker over variations, all eager to have their song known.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• disagree
• quarrel
• quibble
• spar
• squabble
• wrangle