bicker

[ bik-er ]

/ ˈbɪk ər /

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See synonyms for: bicker / bickering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle: The two were always bickering.

to run rapidly; move quickly; rush; hurry: a stream bickering down the valley.

to flicker; glitter: The sun bickered through the trees.

noun

an angry, petty dispute or quarrel; contention.

OTHER WORDS FOR bicker

1 disagree, squabble, argue, quarrel, haggle, dispute, spar, spat.

See synonyms for bicker on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of bicker

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bicker

bick·er·er, nounun·bick·ered, adjectiveun·bick·er·ing, adjective

Words nearby bicker

bichromate, bichromate process, bichrome, bicipital, bicipital rib, bicker, bickie, bick-iron, biclonality, bicoastal, Bicol

Other definitions for bicker (2 of 2)

bicker²

[ bik-er ]

/ ˈbɪk ər /

noun Scot.

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

Obsolete. a wooden drinking cup.

Origin of bicker

1300–50; Middle English bikerbeaker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bicker in a sentence

All we think old people do is bicker about how different you are.
Jamie Foxx: Get Over the Black ‘Annie’|Stereo Williams|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite their sizeable difference in age (he 53, she 25), the two playfully bicker like, well, a couple in an Allen film.
Emma Stone and Colin Firth on Woody Allen, Shrinkage, and Live-Texting ‘Bridget Jones’|Marlow Stern|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They bicker and backstab and yell—and there is quite a bit of yelling.
Why ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Is Funny: An Examination of Scenes, Stripped of Context|Caitlin Dickson|November 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it must get us to root for survivors who often bicker or self-sabotage when we just want them to move forward.
‘The Walking Dead’: Season 4 Premiere Reminds Us Why We Love This Show|Melissa Leon|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The purpose of a campaign, after all, is to bicker about economic conditions and government actions.
Who's the Candidate of Small Business?|Megan McArdle|October 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And, for want of better measure, he seized lustily a bicker that lay near him, and dashed a quantity of the liquor into it.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 17|Alexander Leighton
They were cast in a quieter time and refuse to bicker on a paltry minute.
Hints to Pilgrims|Charles Stephen Brooks
Kirsty and Jenny, two country lassies, were supping their "parritch" from the same bicker in the harvest-field one morning.
Scotch Wit and Humor|W. H. (Walter Henry) Howe
We grow old and wrinkled and sick; we bicker with those we love; it grows harder to remember, easier to forget.
Hempfield|David Grayson
There is a homely saying in Wiltshire that married people are made to bicker and breed.
The Real Shelley, Vol. II (of 2)|John Cordy Jeaffreson

British Dictionary definitions for bicker

bicker

/ (ˈbɪkə) /

verb (intr)

to argue over petty matters; squabble

poetic

(esp of a stream) to run quickly
to flicker; glitter

noun

a petty squabble

Derived forms of bicker

bickerer, nounbickering, noun, adjective

Word Origin for bicker

C13: of unknown origin

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

bicker

OTHER WORDS FOR bicker

Origin of bicker

OTHER WORDS FROM bicker

Words nearby bicker

Other definitions for bicker (2 of 2)

Origin of bicker

Words related to bicker

How to use bicker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bicker

Derived forms of bicker

Word Origin for bicker