MEANING
To argue repeatedly about small or unimportant matters.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- bicker over details
- bicker about money
- bicker with a sibling
On the page
While the roof leaked, the trustees bickered over the wording of the minutes.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- bicker
- Past tense
- bickered
- Past participle
- bickered
- Present participle
- bickering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- bicker
- Present continuous
- am/is/are bickering
- Present perfect
- have/has bickered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been bickering
- Past
- bickered
- Past continuous
- was/were bickering
- Past perfect
- had bickered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been bickering
- Future
- will bicker
- Future continuous
- will be bickering
- Future perfect
- will have bickered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been bickering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: bicker; bickers; bickered; bickered; bickering. Writing functions: dialogue, character, conflict. Commonness: moderately common. No fixed intensity rating: the hostility depends on context.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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