BICKERING Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

bickering

verb

Definition of bickering

present participle of bicker

as in arguing

to express different opinions about something often angrily if you two don't stop bickering about where to go to eat, we're not going out at all!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bickering There’s striker Josie Gordon, bickering twin sisters Siobhan and Niamh, glove-shunning goalie Katie ‘Boots’ Quinn and couple Maddie and Margy. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Back at the base, the team is still bickering with the other troopers. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2026 After bickering with Percy over her involvement in the mission, Thalia ultimately drives away from the scene. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026 Establishment figures such as Jeffries and the party’s 2028 presidential candidates will need to grasp that the relationship between the DSA and the Democratic Party is not one of occasionally bickering siblings, but of parasite and host. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026 Several weeks back, Clark and White were caught bickering during a timeout huddle against the expansion Portland Fire. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026 The emotional distress may have stemmed from the family's extended trip together and bickering, his mother told USA TODAY on June 3. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 June 2026 While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026 SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. — ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bickering

Verb

O’Leary, who owns multimillion-dollar homes in Florida, Massachusetts, and Toronto, has made the point to shop at Walmart on numerous occasions—long arguing that there’s no reason to pay more for everyday essentials when a cheaper option will do.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Nevada promptly sued, arguing the plan is untenable for Las Vegas.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

In another clip, a student records himself quarreling with a teacher asking him to take out his notes.

— Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
Now might not seem the moment for Democrats to be quarrelling, but many of them believe that the only way to build the Party back up is to remake it.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

Definition of quarreling

Verb

As a result, the Fed’s attention is now fixed on fighting inflation, instead of the other part of its dual mandate, namely supporting the labor market.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
For France, long accustomed to wildfires along arid stretches of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, the devastation in Le Porge has yielded rare consensus that its fire safety system is not up to fighting mega-fires brought on by climate change.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of fighting

Verb

There were the two seen squabbling with Jackie last month, another Shadow batted out of the nest before Luna and Sandy left and now eaglet KD1 is making her presence known.

— Joy Benedict, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
The squabbling banter between the two is priceless, even endearing.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 July 2026

Definition of squabbling

Verb

But the move risks clashing with Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s own plans to shrink the Fed’s balance sheet — and with any Fed decision to tighten monetary policy.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 29 Aug. 2026
About 500 protesters gathered on the Capitol steps Wednesday afternoon in opposition to legislation that offers to withhold immigrant support providers’ addresses from the public, clashing with a group of counterprotesters.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of clashing

Verb

Well, maybe everyone except for the fans escorted out of the right-field bleachers after brawling, another clip that went viral on social media.

— Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Massive fights erupted at the Wisconsin State Fair during its chaotic closing hours Sunday, with viral video showing people in crowds throwing punches and brawling as police moved in to break up the mayhem.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of brawling

Verb

Perhaps counterintuitively, 40 years of wrangling point not toward banning surrogacy, but to the steps needed to regulate it.

— Arthur L. Caplan, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026
After weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, the CPUC voted unanimously to approve two settlement agreements with Charter that allow the merger to move forward.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrangling

Browse Nearby Words

bickerers

bickering

bickers

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“Bickering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bickering. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bickering

verb

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