altercation — English Dictionary

Noun

1. An angry or heated dispute.

   Usage

   • Countable

   Synonyms

   argumentwrangle

   Examples

   to get into an altercation over (something)

   The shooting resulted from an altercation between two armed intoxicated men.

   More examples (4)

   The truth of my Third Accuſation is confeſt, but the guilt, not acknovvledged; ſince that vvhich excites men to endleſs bavvlings, and altercations; Schiſms, Hereſies and Rebellions, by the vehemencies of Diſpute, is it ſeems vvith our Author no more noxious and criminal, then the Sun that ſtirrs men up to their vvork in the morning, by the importunity of it's beams.

   An altercation cannot end in your favour.

   [I]n all the disputes in which he was engaged as an Englishman against Englishmen, from his boxing-matches at school to those stormy altercations at the India House and in Parliament amidst which his later years were passed, his very faults were those of a high and magnanimous spirit.

   "What the hell is it to you who are my friends?" roared McMurdo in a voice which brought every head in the carriage round to witness the altercation.

2. An act of posing questions to, and obtaining answers from, a witness in a court of law.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Historical

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   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.

3. Angry or heated disputation.

   Usage

   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (4)

   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.

   The greateſt of my trouble is, that I am forced to deal vvith a vvriting vvhich is filled vvith […] ſo many angry vvords, and ſo many hiſtoricall untruths, that, as I knovv my very mentioning the later vvill be ill taken, ſo I knovv not hovv to deal vvith the former. For if I ſhould pleaſe my ſelf in overpaſſing them, I knovv ſome vvill ſay his Book is unanſvvered, vvho take the ſtrength of it to lie in ſuch vvords: And if I anſvver it, as I ſhall but vveary a Judicious Reader, vvho looks for Arguments, and loathes altercation, ſo I ſhall be forced to ſpeak according to the matter; […]

   The tvvo Chambermaids being again left along, began a ſecond Bout at Altercation, vvhich ſoon produced a Combat of a more active Kind. In this the Victory belonged to the Lady of inferior Rank, but not vvithout ſome Loſs of Blood, of Hair, and of Lavvn and Muſlin.

   But she was here interrupted […] by her father's hat being heavily flung from his hand and striking her face. Accustomed to such occasional manifestations of his sense of parental duty, Pleasant merely wiped her face on her hair (which of course had tumbled down) before she twisted it up. This was another common procedure on the part of the ladies of the Hole, when heated by verbal or fistic altercation.

Noun

1. noisy quarrel

   Synonyms

   affrayfracas

   Broader terms

   quarrelwranglerowwordsrun-industup