feud
1 Americannoun
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Also called blood feud. a bitter, continuous hostility, especially between two families, clans, etc., often lasting for many years or generations.
-
a bitter quarrel or contention.
a feud between labor and management.
- Synonyms:
- difference, argument
verb (used without object)
-
feuds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feuded,
past participle, past
-
feuding
present participle
noun
noun
-
long and bitter hostility between two families, clans, or individuals; vendetta
-
a quarrel or dispute
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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feudsimple
-
feudssimple
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have feudedperfect
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has feudedperfect
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am feudingprogressive
-
are feudingprogressive
-
is feudingprogressive
-
have been feudingperfect progressive
-
has been feudingperfect progressive
Past
-
feudedsimple
-
had feudedperfect
-
was feudingprogressive
-
were feudingprogressive
-
had been feudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feud1
1300–50; variant of fead ( a misread as u ), Middle English fede < Middle French fe ( i ) de < Old High German fēhida; cognate with Old English fǣhth enmity. See foe, -th 1
Origin of feud2
1605–15; < Medieval Latin feudum, variant of feodum. See fee
Explanation
A feud is a long-standing fight, often between two families. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare describes the lovers' long-feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Feuds do not have to be violent—what characterizes them is long-standing hostility. Ethnic groups can sometimes be said to be feuding. Kids in school who refuse to sit at the same lunch table over a period of years could describe their relationship as a feud.
Vocabulary lists containing feud
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story"
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"The Interlopers" and "An Interview with the King of Terror"
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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.
See Examples For:
The couple -- who quit Britain for California six years ago amid a royal feud -- landed in a private jet at Birmingham Airport in central England, The Telegraph newspaper and other media said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The feud led to Atleti fans jeering their own player on his return to club action after the summer World Cup in a 2-2 home draw with Villarreal on Sunday.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
He also has clashed with former MS Now anchor Joy Reid and is engaged in a longstanding feud with NBA star LeBron James.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Plus, Bunny Mellon’s influence as a tastemaker for the elite, and the viral feud between a luxury hotel and a content creator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Long ago, before the days of King Argaven I, who made Karhide one kingdom, there was a blood feud between the Domain of Stok and the Domain of Estre in Kerm Land.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
As with many family feuds, the issue now seems to be who should apologize first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
While he was not an eyewitness to the shooting itself, he offered context about the feuds and rivalries that led up to it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Prince Harry, who relocates back to Britain shortly with his family, will open a new chapter in his ever-eventful life which once seemed improbable amid royal feuds, battles over security and lawsuits against UK tabloids.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
One of the Premier League's most gripping personal feuds goes global on Sunday when Brazil face Norway in the World Cup last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
No one else dared enter, and while the gyptians kept the peace and traded fairly, file landlopers turned a blind eye to the incessant smuggling and the occasional feuds.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
And Trump has feuded with the agency over, among other things, a 70-foot-tall flagpole erected on his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course without a permit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Its release was surrounded by chatter of a fissure between the two leads, and the pair have since feuded publicly about each other’s behavior during and after filming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Members of his team have feuded over policy.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
Other critics included far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is Jewish and who has feuded with both Carlson and Fuentes in recent months.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2025
She had feuded for years with another picker named Bertha, who finally put a curse on her.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
But they did not meet William and Kate, and whether the feuding siblings will reconcile has been among the many questions thrown up by their return.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A seer whose talent only seemed to arise when she needed to share bad news, Helaena was an unwelcome presence in her feuding family.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Over the course of a few days, this bashful teen, always armed with her camcorder and far less free-spirited than her cousins, will be beset by her father’s feuding family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Knicks owner James Dolan began feuding with new mayor Zohran Mamdani over outdoor watch parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
He sold two feuding families a timeshare agreement for using the washing house on separate days.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
