squabble
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squabblesimple
-
squabblessimple
-
have squabbledperfect
-
has squabbledperfect
-
am squabblingprogressive
-
are squabblingprogressive
-
is squabblingprogressive
-
have been squabblingperfect progressive
-
has been squabblingperfect progressive
Past
-
squabbledsimple
-
had squabbledperfect
-
was squabblingprogressive
-
were squabblingprogressive
-
had been squabblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squabble
1595–1605; probably < Scandinavian; compare Swedish dialect skvabbel a quarrel, gossip, Norwegian dialect skvabba to prattle
Explanation
A squabble is a fight but not necessarily a serious one. When we squabble, we have a little argument, probably about something not too important. Do you notice how squabble sounds kind of funny? That's a clue that a squabble is not the most serious kind of argument or fight. A loud, screaming fight would never be called a squabble. A small, silly discussion about something small or trivial is more of a squabble. Friends and family members squabble all the time.
Vocabulary lists containing squabble
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Sea of Monsters
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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’s legal squabble over the lamp and a collection of souvenir refrigerator magnets from traveling with their children cost them about $10,000 in attorneys’ time, Costas estimated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
There was a time when the public picked a team in the Murdoch family’s squabble.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026
And like in any squabble, there will be a winner and a loser.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 25, 2026
The Olympians’ defense frustrated Palos Verdes quarterback Ryan Rakowski, who was ejected with 11:41 left after getting into a squabble with Leuzinger linebacker Samu Moala.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025
As her family continued to squabble over money, she grew impatient with the world of human society—so full of suspicion, prejudice, and greed.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Her teenage characters are more preoccupied with crushes and exams than bombs and checkpoints, and their daily squabbles and concerns helped give the show "universal" appeal.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Twenty-six years after Jack and Greg first sparred, “Focker-in-Law” is set to rehash old squabbles.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
With routines off-kilter and excitement running high squabbles can break out between siblings as well as cousins or friends they may not see regularly.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
The answer, he says, is to find what he calls the “Goldilocks zone” of healthy conflict, where people inside the business feel comfortable raising problems without triggering squabbles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
"Look, this is not my problem. You all can sort out your family squabbles and leave my family way out of it."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Top Republican and Democratic lawyers squabbled over the details of Civil War “field voting,” when ballots were collected from Union soldiers and transported back home after the election.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
The boxers squabbled like petulant schoolchildren at a news conference in February, with Eubank holding court, taking aim at everyone in his eyeline, including Benn and Hearn.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
O'Donnell and Trump have squabbled publicly and repeatedly since her first stint as a co-host on ABC's "The View."
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2025
The lawyers squabbled over the agreement, could not come to a resolution and the deal fell apart.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
Religious leaders squabbled and left, and money grew tight.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
An issue like that can intensify the squabbling when a death occurs in the family.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Cue a montage of the two of them squabbling that, alas, sets the tone for this movie, which drones much more often than it soars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
As they flew away from Brussels over the weekend, the pair left behind a just-defused crisis in transatlantic relations and internal squabbling over another trade deal with South American nations.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
A separate joint venture with Helsing, a German defense startup, fell apart last year amid squabbling over who would have most control over the software project, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
Their room had no ceiling either, and it was possible to hear people squabbling in other barracks.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
