squabble
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- squabbler noun
- squabblingly adverb
- unsquabbling adjective
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
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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The Sea of Monsters
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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.
If one does not appreciate the nature and importance of the squabble, Freidenberg maintained, one cannot really grasp how totalitarianism poisons every moment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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
Neither company wanted to let a contract squabble disrupt some of their viewers’ favorite shows.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025
In a furious squabble of accusation and recrimination he would demote officers and promote the most unlikely soldiers from the ranks.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
