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.

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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.

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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

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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

Example Sentences

The pair are later seen bickering just as they did in the old days.

From BBC

Shots of children too absorbed in their tablets to play with each other intermingle with classic bickering between Tom Hanks‘ Woody and Tim Allen‘s Buzz Lightyear.

From Salon

Now the venture has devolved into bickering between defense companies Airbus and Dassault Aviation—and between Berlin and Paris—over who gets to lead its development, with all sides now questioning its future.

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, bickering over a voided hockey season arguably makes for a healthier relationship than whatever is going on in the soap opera otherwise known as Norwegian biathlon.

From The Wall Street Journal

The adults were all bickering about Dickie’s inability to remember names and Ginny’s baby doll.

From Literature

Related Words

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