Meaning & use

spat

noun·Everyday

A brief, minor quarrel or disagreement, usually not serious.

See it in a sentence

The siblings had a quick spat over who would control the television remote.

Their little spat was forgotten by dinnertime, and they were laughing again.

A note on using this word

Spat describes a short, relatively unimportant argument, milder than words like 'feud' or 'fight.'

Words with a similar meaning

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Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

The larval or juvenile stage of an oyster or similar shellfish.

Farmers collected oyster spat on ropes suspended in the bay to grow into adults.

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