squabble

English

Etymology

1600s, probably of North Germanic origin and ultimately imitative.

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)

1. 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

• Bulgarian: разправия (bg) f (razpravija)
• Czech: půtka (cs) f, rozmíška f, hašteření n, poškorpení n, šarvátka f
• Dutch: gekrakeel (nl) n
• Finnish: kinastelu (fi)
• French: dispute (fr) f, guéguerre (fr) f, riotte (fr) f
• German: Rangelei (de) f, Gerangel (de) n, Disput (de) m
• Greek: αψιμαχία (el) f (apsimachía)
• Italian: scaramuccia (it) f, litigio (it) m, battibecco (it) m, diatriba (it) f
• Maori: komekome
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kjekling c

  Nynorsk: kjekling f

• Persian: بگومگو‎ (fa) (begu-magu), یکی‌به‌دو‎ (yeki-be-do)
• Russian: ссо́ра (ru) f (ssóra), перебра́нка (ru) f (perebránka)
• Scottish Gaelic: connsachadh m, connspaid f, trod m
• Serbo-Croatian: čarka (sh)
• Spanish: disputilla (es) f
• Swedish: käbbel (sv) n, kiv (sv) n, bjäbb n
• Turkish: hırgür (tr), itiş kakış

Verb

squabble (third-person singular simple present squabbles, present participle squabbling, simple past and past participle squabbled)

1. (intransitive) To participate in a minor fight or argument; to quarrel.

   The brothers were always squabbling with each other.

   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, OCLC 1325830848:

     The sense of these propositions is very plain and easy, though logicians might perhaps squabble a whole day whether they should rank them under negative or affirmative.

2. (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

• Bulgarian: дърля се (dǎrlja se), разправям се (razpravjam se)
• Czech: škorpit se impf, hašteřit impf, poškorpit se pf
• Finnish: kinastella (fi)
• French: se chamailler (fr)
• German: sich kabbeln (de), (sich) zanken (de)
• Greek: αψιμαχώ (el) (apsimachó)
• Italian: litigare (it), accapigliarsi (it)
• Maori: whakanihoniho, komekome
• Norwegian: kjekle
• Romanian: certa (ro)
• Russian: вздо́рить (ru) impf (vzdóritʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: connsaich, troid
• Serbo-Croatian: čarkati (sh)
• Spanish: repiquetear (es), discutir (es)
• Swedish: käbbla (sv)