Synonyms

altercate

American

[awl-ter-keyt] / ˈɔl tərˌkeɪt /

verb (used without object)

altercated, altercating

to argue or quarrel with zeal, heat, or anger; wrangle.

altercate British

/ ˈɔːltəˌkeɪt /

verb

(intr) to argue, esp heatedly; dispute

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of altercate

1530–40; < Latin altercātus (past participle of altercārī to quarrel), equivalent to *alterc ( us ) a disputing ( alter other + -cus formative suffix) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As far as I can make out that means me and the rest of the battery altercate every other night.

From No title by

The essence of the law is altercation; for the law can altercate, fulminate, deprecate, irritate, and go on at any rate.

From A Lecture On Heads As Delivered By Mr. Charles Lee Lewes, To Which Is Added, An Essay On Satire, With Forty-Seven Heads By Nesbit, From Designs By Thurston, 1812 by Thurston, Katherine Cecil

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023