altercation

noun

ˌȯl-tər-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce altercation (audio)
Definition of altercationnext
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions judging from all the slamming and banging, I'd say there was some sort of altercation going on next door

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun altercation contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of altercation are quarrel, squabble, and wrangle. While all these words mean "a noisy dispute usually marked by anger," altercation implies fighting with words as the chief weapon, although it may also connote blows.

a loud public altercation

Where would quarrel be a reasonable alternative to altercation?

In some situations, the words quarrel and altercation are roughly equivalent. However, quarrel implies heated verbal contention, stressing strained or severed relations which may persist beyond the contention.

a quarrel nearly destroyed the relationship

When is it sensible to use squabble instead of altercation?

The meanings of squabble and altercation largely overlap; however, squabble stresses childish and unseemly dispute over petty matters, but it need not imply bitterness or anger.

a brief squabble over what to do next

When would wrangle be a good substitute for altercation?

The words wrangle and altercation can be used in similar contexts, but wrangle suggests undignified and often futile disputation with a noisy insistence on differing opinions.

wrangle interminably about small issues

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of altercation Police have said the entire altercation, which occurred inside the crowded club, was caught on surveillance video. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 July 2025 Behind the store counter a park employee looks terrified as the altercation unfolds in front of her. —Colson Thayer, People.com, 10 July 2025 Sullivan allegedly stabbed the person in a second altercation. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 9 July 2025 At Monday’s arraignment, when prosecutors revealed the details of the altercation, a judge ordered Horsman to be held without bail. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for altercation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altercation
  1. dispute
  2. quarrel
  3. controversy
  4. disagreement
  5. fight
  6. brawl
  7. argument
  8. bicker
Noun
  • Threads on the South Park subreddit and social media have lit up with foul-mouthed complaints from international fans, most of them directed at Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media, whose $8 billion buyout of Paramount is at the heart of the South Park dispute.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
  • But there are still some sour grapes about the big tactical dispute in February.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 14 July 2025
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • Your celestial ruler, Mercury, will also station retrograde in your communication sector (for the win), triggering misunderstandings and unnecessary quarrels with siblings or neighbors.
    — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 8 July 2025
  • According to writer and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, Johnson had his quarrels inside and outside the ring.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Definition of quarrel
Noun
  • The controversy in Spain echoes similar issues in Portugal, where Rabbi Daniel Litvak of Oporto was arrested in 2022 amid investigations into fraudulent citizenship applications linked notably to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
    — Orge Castellano, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
  • The marketing department has been working up a list of areas where crime in the streets is highest, and will target special efforts on Death Wish there, hoping to stir up the kind of controversy that will get people to the box office.
    — Andrew Tobias, Vulture, 7 July 2025
Definition of controversy
Noun
  • With no deadline spurring action and the clear potential for disagreement on valuation, this staring contest could go on for a while.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 7 July 2025
  • At the core of disagreements over transgender access to sports is whether trans women have an unfair physical athletic advantage over athletes assigned female at birth.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Definition of disagreement
Noun
  • Pledging weapons for Ukraine's fight appears to be the latest stage in this pivot.
    — Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
  • Some scenes, like a fight that takes place in an antiproton river in the pocket universe, feel almost more like a cartoon than live-action, and not in a good way.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Definition of fight
Noun
  • If a person tears off someone’s ear or nose in a bar brawl, jail time is almost certain.
    — Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
  • There's much to consider about this hypothetical brawl.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Definition of brawl
Noun
  • That request may become even more important to prosecutors if Routh is speaking and making arguments for himself at his trial.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 12 July 2025
  • Could this argument exempt them from the exit tax, sparing them significant financial consequences?
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Definition of argument
Noun
  • The Hussein family bickers about which MENA ethnicities are better than others.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Better to follow the West German example and achieve full NATO membership for independent Ukraine than to watch essential U.S. support dwindle as Congress bickers and Trump’s reelection odds increase.
    — M. E. Sarotte, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2024
Definition of bicker

Browse Nearby Words

altercating
altercation
altercations
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Cite this Entry

“Altercation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercation. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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