quarrel

[kwawr-uhl, kwor-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quarrel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations.

a cause of dispute, complaint, or hostile feeling: She has no quarrel with her present salary.

verb (used without object), quar·reled, quar·rel·ing or (especially British) quar·relled, quar·rel·ling.

to disagree angrily; squabble; wrangle.

to end a friendship as a result of a disagreement.

to make a complaint; find fault.

Origin of quarrel

1300–50; Middle English querele < Old French < Latin querēla, querella a complaint, derivative of querī to complain

Related formsquar·rel·er, nounquar·rel·ing·ly, adverbun·quar·rel·ing, adjectiveun·quar·rel·ling, adjective

Synonyms for quarrel

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quarrel ON THESAURUS.COM

1. argument, contention, controversy, difference, fight. Quarrel, dissension refer to disagreement and conflict. Quarrel applies chiefly to a verbal disagreement between individuals or groups and is used with reference to a large variety of situations, from a slight and petty difference of opinion to a violent altercation: It was little more than a domestic quarrel. Their quarrel led to the barroom brawl. Dissension usually implies a profound disagreement and bitter conflict. It also applies chiefly to conflict within a group or to members of the same group: dissension within the union; dissension among the Democrats. 3. bicker, argue, brawl, fight.

quarrel

[kwawr-uh l, kwor-]

noun

a square-headed bolt or arrow, formerly used with a crossbow.

Also quarry. a small, square or diamond-shaped pane of glass, as used in latticed windows.

any of various tools with pyramidal heads.

Origin of quarrel

1175–1225; Middle English quarel < Old French < Medieval Latin quadrellus, diminutive of Latin quadrus square

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for quarrel

run-in, discord, tiff, ruckus, argument, wrangle, strife, row, disturbance, altercation, falling-out, spat, dispute, squabble, brawl, misunderstanding, dissension, struggle, fracas, difference

Examples from the Web for quarrel

Contemporary Examples of quarrel

Their quarrel is with more recently formed verbs like incentivize.
Go Ahead, End With a Preposition: Grammar Rules We All Can Live With
Nick Romeo
November 3, 2014
When quiet, he realized that the quarrel was a metaphor for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Jaffa: A Tale Of Two Lands
Lauren Gelfond Feldinger
February 16, 2014
I share their concern about government, but this is not a quarrel with our government in Washington.
Tea Party Strikes Out Against the Atlanta Braves
Patricia Murphy
November 27, 2013
You can quarrel with that decision in all sorts of ways, but it is the worker, not the company, who gets most of the benefit.
Why Can't Companies Find the Workers they Need?
Megan McArdle
November 15, 2012
He concluded, the Gaza refugees "have no quarrel with the Jews."
One-Note History: A Response to Yousef Munayyer
Gil Troy
June 19, 2012

Historical Examples of quarrel

"You seek to force a quarrel, sir," said the young man, white with anger.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
"So ends our quarrel, then," said Aylward, sheathing his sword.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
Very well, then, Sir, you are ill; don't let us quarrel about that.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
He cherishes no quarrel, therefore, with his destiny, nor with the Author of it.
The Old Apple Dealer (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The quarrel is not yours nor mine, nor the grievances naither.
Ridgeway
Scian Dubh

British Dictionary definitions for quarrel

quarrel

noun

an angry disagreement; argument

a cause of disagreement or dispute; grievance

verb -rels, -relling or -relled or US -rels, -reling or -reled (intr often foll by with)

to engage in a disagreement or dispute; argue

to find fault; complain

Derived Formsquarreller or US quarreler, noun

Word Origin for quarrel

C14: from Old French querele, from Latin querēlla complaint, from querī to complain

quarrel

noun

an arrow having a four-edged head, fired from a crossbow

a small square or diamond-shaped pane of glass, usually one of many in a fixed or casement window and framed with lead

Word Origin for quarrel

C13: from Old French quarrel pane, from Medieval Latin quadrellus, diminutive of Latin quadrus square

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

Word Origin and History for quarrel

n.1

"angry dispute," mid-14c., originally "ground for complaint," from Old French querele "matter, concern, business; dispute, controversy" (Modern French querelle), from Latin querella "complaint, accusation; lamentation," from queri "to complain, lament." Replaced Old English sacan. Sense of "contention between persons" is from 1570s.

n.2

"square-headed bolt for a crossbow," mid-13c., from Old French quarel, carrel "bolt, arrow," from Vulgar Latin *quadrellus, diminutive of Late Latin quadrus (adj.) "square," related to quattuor "four" (see four). Now-archaic sense of "square or diamond-shaped plane of glass" first recorded mid-15c.

late 14c., "to raise an objection;" 1520s as "to contend violently, to fall out," from quarrel (n.1) and in part from Old French quereler (Modern French quereller). Related: Quarrelled; quarrelling.

Idioms and Phrases with quarrel

quarrel

see pick a quarrel.