squabble
English
Etymology
1600s, probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish dialectal skvabbel (“a dispute, quarrel, gossip”), Norwegian dialectal skvabba (“to prattle”), German dialectal schwabbeln (“to babble, prattle”), Swedish dialectal skvappa (“to chide, scold”, literally “make a splash”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈskwɒbl/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈskwɑːbl/
Audio (GA) (file) - Rhymes: -ɒbəl
Noun
squabble (plural squabbles)
- A minor fight or argument.
- The children got into a squabble about who should ride in the front of the car.
Derived terms
- squabbly
Translations
minor fight or argument
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Verb
squabble (third-person singular simple present squabbles, present participle squabbling, simple past and past participle squabbled)
- (intransitive) To participate in a minor fight or argument.
- The brothers were always squabbling with each other.
- I. Watts
- The sense of these propositions is very plain, though logicians might squabble a whole day whether they should rank them under negative or affirmative.
- (transitive, printing) To disarrange, so that the letters or lines stand awry and require readjustment.
- to squabble type
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:squabble
Derived terms
- squabbler
Translations
participate in a minor fight or argument
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