quarrel

Syllables: quar·rel/ˈkwɒɹ(ə)l//ˈkwɔɹəl/

quarrel noun: a dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).

Noun (1)

quarrel (countable and uncountable, plural quarrels)

(countable) A dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).
- We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.
- And let a Man bevvare, hovv he keepeth Company, vvith Cholerick and Quarelſome Perſons; for they vvill engage him into their ovvne Quarels.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Trauaile”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 104
Synonyms:

argument, argy-bargy, altercation, contention, barney, bawl out, blue, bobbery, brawl, clash
(countable) Often preceded by a form of to have: a basis or ground of dispute or objection; a complaint; also, a feeling or situation of ill will and unhappiness caused by this.
- A few customers in the shop had some quarrels with us, so we called for the manager.
- I have no quarrel with her; it’s her partner whom I dislike.
(rare, uncountable) A propensity to quarrel; quarrelsomeness.
- If I can faſten but one cup vpon him, / With that which he hath drunke to night already, / Hee'll be as full of quarrell and offence, / As my young miſtris dog:— [...]c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act...
- [A]ll beaſts and birds aſſembled; and forgetting their ſeuerall appetites; ſome of pray, ſome of game, ſome of quarrell, ſtood all ſociably together liſtening vnto the ayres and accords of the Harpe; […]1605, Francis Bacon, “The First Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for...

Verb

quarrel (third-person singular simple present quarrels, present participle (US) quarreling or (UK) quarrelling, simple past and past participle (US) quarreled or (UK) quarrelled)

(also, figuratively, intransitive) To argue fiercely; to contend; to squabble; to cease to be on friendly terms, to fall out.
- [T]here is no doubt but the facture or framing of the inward parts, is as full of difference, as the outward, and in that, is the Cauſe Continent of many diſeaſes, which not be obſerued, they quarrell many times with the humors which are not in fault, the fault being in the very frame and...1605, Francis Bacon, “The Second Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for...
- Nay, they [animals] feed quietly together while there is enough for them all: Quarrel onely when it begins to fail; and when 'tis ended, they ſcatter to ſeek out new encounters. Besides, thoſe called ſociable, quarrel in hunger and in luſt, as well as the others; [...]1679, William Temple, “An Essay upon the Original and Nature of Government. […]”, in Miscellanea. […], London: […] A. M. and R. R. for Edw[ard] Gellibrand, […], →OCLC, page 61
(intransitive) To find fault; to cavil.
- to quarrel with one’s lot
- Be not too rigidly Cenſorious, / A ſtring may jarr in the beſt Maſters hand, / And the moſt skilfull Archer miſs his aim; / But in a Poem elegantly writ, / I will not quarrel with a ſlight miſtake, / Such as our Natures frailty may excuſe; [...]1680, Horace, translated by Earl of Roscommon [i.e., Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon], Horace’s Art of Poetry. […], London: […] Henry Herringman […], →OCLC, page 24
(intransitive, obsolete) Followed by at: to disagree with; to take offence.
(transitive, obsolete except Scotland) To argue or squabble with (someone).
- [T]hey would ſay [...] that I had quarrell'd / My brother purpoſely, thereby to finde / An apt pretext, to baniſh them my houſe.1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act II...

Noun (2)

quarrel (countable and uncountable, plural quarrels)

(countable, historical) An arrow or bolt for a crossbow or an arbalest (“a late, large type of crossbow”), traditionally with the head square in its cross section.
- Twanged the ſtring, out flew the quarell long, / And through the ſubtile aire did ſinging pas, / It hit the knight the buckles rich among, / Wherewith his pretious girdle faſt'ned was, / It bruſed them and pearſt his hawberke ſtrong, / Some little blood downe trickled on the gras; [...]1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Seuenth Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold]...
- Here be two arblasts, comrade, with windlaces and quarrells—to the barbican with you, and see you drive each bolt through a Saxon brain.1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter XIV, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page...
Synonyms:

carrel, quarry
(countable) A diamond- or square-shaped piece of glass forming part of a lattice window.

Synonyms:

quarry
(Northern England, countable) A square tile; a quarry tile; (uncountable) such tiles collectively.

Synonyms:

quarry
(countable, obsolete, rare) A cutting tool or chisel with a diamond- or square-shaped end.
(countable, obsolete) A small square-shaped opening in window tracery.

quarrel meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

quarrel in Hindi

dispute or heated argument: झगड़ा jhagṛā, विवाद vivād
to argue strongly, contend, squabble: झगड़ना jhagaṛnā

quarrel in Marathi

to quarrel: भांडणे bhāṇḍṇe
quarrel, dispute: भांडण bhāṇḍaṇ

quarrel in Urdu

dispute or heated argument: جَھگْڑا jhagṛā
to argue strongly, contend, squabble: جھگڑا کرنا jhagṛā karnā

More languagesFewer languages

quarrel in Bengali: ঝগড়া jhogoṛa, কাজিয়া kajiẏa, বিবাদ bibad
quarrel in Telugu: జగడము jagaḍamu, కలహించు kalahiñcu, కజ్జా kajjā
quarrel in Malayalam: പോരടിക്കുക pōraṭikkuka, കുതറുക kutaṟuka, വഴക്ക് vaḻakkŭ, ലഹള lahaḷa
quarrel in Kannada: ಜಗಳ, ತೋಟಿ, ಕಿತ್ತಲಾಟ, ಕಿತ್ತಾಟ
quarrel in Punjabi: رولا raulā
quarrel in Gujarati: કકળાટ kakḷāṭ
quarrel in Odia: ତୁଟିବା tuṭibā
quarrel in Sanskrit: ऋति
quarrel in Sinhala: සණ්ඩුව saṇḍuwa
quarrel in Assamese: কাজিয়া kazia
quarrel in Nepali: झगडा jhagaḍā, झगडा गर्नु jhagaḍā garnu
quarrel in Pashto: شخړه šx̌aṛa
quarrel in Tagalog: away, mag-away, makipag-away
quarrel in Arabic: نِزَاع nizāʕ, شِجَار šijār, تَشَاجَرَ tašājara
quarrel in Malay: pergaduhan, bergaduh
quarrel in Indonesian: percekcokan
quarrel in Persian: ستیزیدن setizidan
quarrel in Thai: การทะเลาะ gaan-tá-lɔ́, ทะเลาะ tá-lɔ́, พิพาท pí-pâat
quarrel in Vietnamese: cãi cọ, cãi vã
quarrel in Myanmar: ရန်ဖြစ် ranhprac
Kashmiri: لَڑٲے laḍạ̄y, جٔگڑٕ jạgḍụ

Examples of quarrel in a sentence

Quarrels would not last long, if the fault was only on one side.1851, Francis, Duc de la Rochefoucauld [i.e., François de La Rochefoucauld], translated by [anonymous], Moral Reflections, Sentences and...
You miſtake ſir I am ſure, no man hath any quarrell to me: my remembrance is very free and cleere from any image of offence done to any man.c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, &...
Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him [John the Baptist], and would haue killed him, but ſhe could not.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 6:19, column 1:
We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party.1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave I. Marley’s Ghost.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, pages 10–11:

All 40 example sentences with quarrel

Synonyms of quarrel

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All synonyms of quarrel

Forms of quarrel

Noun
plural	quarrels
alternative form (obsolete)	quarrell
Verb
third-person singular present	quarrels
present participle US	quarreling
present participle UK	quarrelling
past participle US	quarreled
past US	quarreled
past participle UK	quarrelled
past UK	quarrelled
first-person singular past	quarrelled
second-person singular past	quarrelled
third-person singular past	quarrelled
plural past	quarrelled
past subjunctive	quarrelled
present participle	quarrelling
past participle	quarrelled
second-person singular present (archaic)	quarrelest
second-person singular present (archaic)	quarrellest

Plural of quarrel: quarrels

Origin of quarrel

From Middle English querele (“altercation, dispute; argument, debate; armed combat; trial by combat; basis for dispute, complaint; claim, legal suit; a lament; illness”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman querele [and other forms] and Middle French querele, querelle (“altercation, dispute; basis for dispute; side in a dispute; complaint; accusation; legal suit; lament; problem”) (modern French querelle), and from their etymon Latin querēla, querella (“dispute; argument; complaint, grievance; legal complaint; lament; illness”), from querī + -ēla, -ella (suffix forming nouns). querī (“to complain; to bewail, lament; to be indignant”) comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to puff; to sigh”).

From Middle English querelen (“to dispute, quarrel; to assert one's claims; to rebel”) [and other forms], from querele (noun); see etymology 1. Compare Anglo-Norman, Middle French, and Old French quereler, quereller (“to argue with, dispute; to criticize; to bring a legal suit”) (modern French quereller (“to quarrel, squabble”)).

PIE word *kʷetwóres From Middle English quarrel (“bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; (figurative) seductive glance, temptation to sin; needle (possibly one square in cross-section); small (perhaps square-shaped) opening in window tracery; a cushion (perhaps square-shaped)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman quarel, quarele, quarrel, Middle French quarrel, and Old French quarel, quarrel, carrel (“crossbow bolt; floor tile or paving stone (rectangular- or square-shaped); small glass pane for windows”) (modern French carreau (“crossbow bolt; a tile; windowpane; a square”)), from Late Latin quarellus, quadrellus (“crossbow bolt; paving stone; a tile”), from Latin quadrum (“a square; square section; regular shape or form”) + -ellus (variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutive nouns, indicating small size or youth)). Quadrum is ultimately derived from quattuor (“four”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”). Doublet of carreau.

Words formed from quarrel

Phrases with quarrel

Words that rhyme with quarrel

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Questions about quarrel

What does quarrel mean?: Quarrel means a dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).
What is quarrel in Hindi?: Quarrel in Hindi is झगड़ा (jhagṛā), विवाद (vivād), झगड़ना (jhagaṛnā). See Quarrel meaning in Hindi.
How do you use quarrel in a sentence?: Quarrels would not last long, if the fault was only on one side.
What part of speech is quarrel?: Quarrel can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce quarrel?: Quarrel is pronounced /ˈkwɒɹ(ə)l/ (UK).
What is the plural of quarrel?: The plural of quarrel is quarrels.

Words near quarrel in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-quarrel.oga, En-us-quarrel.ogg.

Cite this entry: “quarrel.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/quarrel. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.