: a cloth or leather gaiter covering the instep and ankle
1
chiefly dialectal
: slap entry 2
2
: a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst
a lovers' spat
3
: a sound like that of rain falling in large drops
spatted; spatting
chiefly dialectal
: slap
1
: to quarrel pettily or briefly
2
: to strike with a sound like that of rain falling in large drops
Synonyms
Noun (3)
- altercation
- argle-bargle [chiefly British]
- argument
- argy-bargy [chiefly British]
- battle royal
- bicker
- brawl
- contretemps
- controversy
- cross fire
- disagreement
- dispute
- donnybrook
- falling-out
- fight
- hassle
- imbroglio
- kickup
- misunderstanding
- quarrel
- rhubarb
- row
- scrap
- set-to
- squabble
- tiff
- wrangle
Verb
Examples of spat in a Sentence
Noun (3)
like any couple, they have their spats
Verb
They were typical sisters, spatting one minute, playing together the next.
we tend to spat over money more than anything else
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg McKenna, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2024
They have been engaged in a public spat since 2017 over the late patriarch’s family home, and Lee Hsien Yang has accused Singapore’s government of persecuting him, his wife and his son.
—Sylvia Hui and Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024
Israeli media reported that coalition lawmaker Simcha Rothman had joined a Sukkot march during which ultra-Orthodox Jews spat at churches.
—Julia Frankel The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for spat 
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Noun
Musk’s political activism, including his public spats with California officials, has already presented an opportunity to companies like Rivian to pick off disgruntled progressive customers.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2024
They have been engaged in a public spat since 2017 over the late patriarch’s family home, and Lee Hsien Yang has accused Singapore’s government of persecuting him, his wife and his son.
—Sylvia Hui and Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
The flare comes after nearly a week of flares and coronal plasma ejections spat toward the planet that threatened disruptions to power and communications systems on Earth.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 15 May 2024
Israeli media reported that coalition lawmaker Simcha Rothman had joined a Sukkot march during which ultra-Orthodox Jews spat at churches.
—Julia Frankel The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for spat
Articles Related to spat
Dictionary Entries Near spat
Cite this Entry
“Spat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spat. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spat
2 of 5 noun
plural spat or spats
: a young oyster
spat
3 of 5 noun
: a cloth or leather covering for the instep and ankle
spat
4 of 5 noun1
: a brief unimportant quarrel : dispute
2
: a sound like that of rain falling in large drops
spat
5 of 5 verb
spatted; spatting
1
: to have a spat : quarrel
2
: to strike with a sound like that of rain falling in large drops
Etymology
Noun
origin unknown
Noun
a shortened form of spatterdash "a protective covering for the ankle or leg"
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