altercation
noun
al·ter·ca·tion
ˌȯl-tər-ˈkā-shən 
: a noisy, heated, angry dispute
He got into several altercations with his boss.
also
: noisy controversy
Synonyms
Examples of altercation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fraggle Rock puppeteers later told The Hollywood Reporter the altercation scared them.
—
Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
The Star-Telegram has also requested video footage of the altercation.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024
But she was bullied at the school, and after getting into a physical altercation with an older female student, Bonnie’s parents decided to pull her out and look for alternative options.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
Both parties confirm that some altercations turned from verbal to physical as tempers flared — though the question of instigation leads to predictably contrasting responses.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
Addison was assessed the penalty with 8:09 left in the third period of Sunday’s game at SAP Center after he got involved in a brief verbal altercation with Coyotes rookie forward Logan Cooley.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Camilo confronted Lopez in the parking lot, and an altercation occurred.
—Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
According to local law enforcement, an altercation at a martini bar at the CityPlace Doral complex broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, prompting a security guard working the scene to intervene.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
The original criminal complaint stated Miu had brandished a knife when two females confronted him before a physical altercation broke out.
—Andy Rose, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
The Star-Telegram has also requested video footage of the altercation.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024
But she was bullied at the school, and after getting into a physical altercation with an older female student, Bonnie’s parents decided to pull her out and look for alternative options.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
Both parties confirm that some altercations turned from verbal to physical as tempers flared — though the question of instigation leads to predictably contrasting responses.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024
Addison was assessed the penalty with 8:09 left in the third period of Sunday’s game at SAP Center after he got involved in a brief verbal altercation with Coyotes rookie forward Logan Cooley.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Camilo confronted Lopez in the parking lot, and an altercation occurred.
—Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
According to local law enforcement, an altercation at a martini bar at the CityPlace Doral complex broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, prompting a security guard working the scene to intervene.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
The original criminal complaint stated Miu had brandished a knife when two females confronted him before a physical altercation broke out.
—Andy Rose, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'altercation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near altercation
Cite this Entry
“Altercation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altercation. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
altercation
noun
al·ter·ca·tion
ˌȯl-tər-ˈkā-shən
: a noisy or angry dispute
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share