spat
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A brief argument, falling out.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
spatIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈspæt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A brief argument, falling out, quarrel.
A light blow with something flat.
A cloth covering (a legging) that covers the instep and ankles
often in the plural
A covering or decorative covering worn over a shoe.
A juvenile shellfish which has attached to a hard surface.
verb
intransitiveoriginally us
To quarrel or argue pettily briefly.
Strike with a sound like that of falling rain
transitive and intransitive
To strike with a spattering sound.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A brief argument, falling out, quarrel.
Used this way, spat is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.