quibbled; quibbling
ˈkwi-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words
: to subject to quibbles
1
: an evasion of or shift from the point
2
: a minor objection or criticism
Did you know?
Quibble is most familiar as a verb, but it can also function as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of quibble settled into English in the mid-17th century, presumably (though not definitively) as a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, meaning “quibble.” Quib in turn may have come from a form of Latin qui, meaning “who,” a distant relation also of our word who.
Examples of quibble in a Sentence
Verb
he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Noun
Our only quibble about the trip was that it rained a lot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024
But in those unguarded seconds after success, when nobody can argue with methods or mindsets, or quibble with choices of words, the walls come down, just for a bit.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 15 Apr. 2024
Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Send your wine questions and quibbles to [email protected] Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.
—Seth Eli Barlow, arkansasonline.com, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quibble 
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Verb
Everyone loved the quarter zip for weight savings, but quibbled with the oddly small hand pockets and wished the hem drawcords were a little more tucked away.
—Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, 31 Oct. 2024
But in those unguarded seconds after success, when nobody can argue with methods or mindsets, or quibble with choices of words, the walls come down, just for a bit.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
My only quibble with the Aiden coffee maker is that the app functionality is nonexistent.
—Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Send your wine questions and quibbles to [email protected] Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.
—Seth Eli Barlow, arkansasonline.com, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quibble
Dictionary Entries Near quibble
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quibble. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quibble
1 of 2 verb
quib·ble
ˈkwib-əl
quibbled; quibbling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to talk about unimportant things rather than the real point
stop quibbling about words and tell what happened
2
: to find fault or argue over unimportant points
people ignored the main point of the speech and quibbled about its length
quibble
2 of 2 noun1
: a statement that deals with a minor matter and not the real point under discussion
2
: a minor objection or criticism
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