altercations

Noun

altercation (countable and uncountable, plural altercations)

1. (countable) An angry or heated dispute.
   • to get into an altercation over (something)

   Synonyms:

   argument, wrangle, argy-bargy, contention, barney, bawl out, blue, bobbery, brawl, clash

2. (countable, historical) An act of posing questions to, and obtaining answers from, a witness in a court of law.
   • The vvhole of this proceſs is denominated the pleading; in the ſeveral ſtages of vvhich it muſt be carefully obſerved, not to depart or vary from the title or defence, vvhich the party has once inſiſted on. For this (vvhich is called a departure in pleading) might occaſion endleſs altercation.1768, William Blackstone, “Of Pleading”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book III (Of Private Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 310
3. (uncountable) Angry or heated disputation.
   • VVee ſeldome find one peece of Scripture ſo preciſely and plainely expounded by another, as in this Prophecie, to haue aftervvards beene the Subiect of altercation.1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], “That the 70. Years of Captiuitie are to be Numbred from the Destruction of Ierusalem; not from the Migration of Iechonia”, in The Historie of the World...