ALTERCATE Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

altercate

verb

ˈȯl-tər-ˌkāt

Definition of altercate

as in to bicker

to express different opinions about something often angrily this discussion is so silly we might as well altercate on how many angels can dance on the point of a needle

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for altercate

Verb

Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
While the boys bicker over stickball rules, old-timers Keith Hernandez, Willie Randolph and Tom Seaver argue from a stoop.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of bicker

Verb

Marc Elias has argued dozens of cases around mail-in balloting and election access across the country and in front of the Supreme Court over the last decade.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
His complaint argues that the plural title invites audiences to suspect a second culprit besides Mun.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of argue

Verb

Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of fight

Verb

Someone who has seen these messages told me that another theme in the chat, which disbanded in January because its members had begun to quarrel, was an impulse to expand into broader anti-labor activities.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Sunday, a caller reported hearing two men quarreling and someone stating that a person would be taken into custody.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of quarrel

Verb

Over the six episodes, alliances shift, egos clash, and pressure builds as the group shrinks.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have clashed with federal troops in the Tigray region, where a devastating two-year war ended in 2022.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of clash

Verb

Mulroney, Ackerman, Snow, and Newman turn this story of spatting WAGS into an explosive, addictive watch.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
Preparation has cultural and regional variations, but the seed is usually chewed with slaked lime and betel leaves, and chewing releases a red juice that's often then spat out.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2025

Definition of spat

Verb

Wells' family and their lawyers disputed the grand jury's findings, pointing to unexplained bruising on the back of his head and noting that his airways and stomach were devoid of water.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Asked about these processes, a Meta spokesperson did not dispute TIME’s findings.

— Harry Booth, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of dispute

Verb

Latino culture typecasts hombres as eternal machos always a few drinks away from brawling or bawling.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Both trips include a stop at the town jail after brawling with the locals, albeit this time John’s the one behind bars instead of Hal.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of brawl

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.

Browse Nearby Words

alterations

altercate

altercated

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“Altercate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altercate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of altercate

verb

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