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
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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.
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
When labor-management disputes interrupt baseball, many fans undoubtedly feel like they are victims of a squabble between “millionaires and billionaires.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 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 two others kept their hands behind them and constantly rubbed them against each other, as if in joyful anticipation of a great squabble which must end up in their favour.
From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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.
