as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
like any couple, they have their spats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
we tend to spat over money more than anything else
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of spat
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Although Musk has sought to dial down the hostility with the president, the billionaire’s public spat with Trump threatens to alienate even more customers.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
South Carolina was on the east bank and Georgia on the west; the temperature was in the fifties, and gray clouds spat water in our faces.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Noun
But the principle of his stance outweighed any external anxiety that might have accompanied the online spat.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
Although Musk has sought to dial down the hostility with the president, the billionaire’s public spat with Trump threatens to alienate even more customers.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
Verb
The teenager first asked the hotel to forgive him, the lawsuit said, but soon flew into a rage, screaming that the hotel was antisemitic and that its employees spat in people’s food.
—Liam Stack, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
South Carolina was on the east bank and Georgia on the west; the temperature was in the fifties, and gray clouds spat water in our faces.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for spat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spat
Noun
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Back in May, former Washington Commanders running back Adrian Peterson went viral for his involvement in a physical altercation at a poker game in Houston, Texas.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
-
The altercation could be setting the stage for an official showdown between Jelly and Paul at this year’s SummerSlam, scheduled for Aug. 2–3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Watch Jelly Roll face off with Logan Paul at WWE SmackDown in the clip below.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
13 July 2025
Verb
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As officials bickered over who had the right to investigate, the crime scene was overrun by gawkers who pocketed souvenirs and tampered with crucial evidence — including an unknown man’s handkerchief, a pair of glasses and the gun used in the murder.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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Trump withdrew his nomination of Isaacman as the president bickered with Musk in the waning days of the billionaire's formal involvement with the White House.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
26 June 2025
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
Verb
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What made the transformation into a cinematic cut possible was the high quality of the game, argued Pekař.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
9 July 2025
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The firm argues that without players like Jane Street, there would be no link between the Indian derivatives market and its real economy.—
Daniel Schlaepfer,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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
Verb
-
Others point out the irony that, as the government fixated on enforcing the veiling law and cracking down on political dissidents under the pretext of fighting foreign subversion, its actual adversaries were quietly infiltrating its most sensitive institutions.—
MOHAMMAD AYATOLLAHI TABAAR,
Foreign Affairs,
8 July 2025
-
Five engines, two trucks, one squad, three ambulances, and three battalion chiefs assisted in fighting the fire.—
Pioneer Press,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Social Security has become a lightening rod for controversy since Trump’s inauguration in January.—
Alicia Adamczyk,
Fortune,
7 July 2025
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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
Verb
-
The president spoke as if a war between nations was similar to a fight between brawling children.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
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The border state had been rife with turmoil as secessionists street brawled with unionists about whose side Maryland should join.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spat. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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