quibbled; quibbling
ˈkwi-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words
: to subject to quibbles
1
: an evasion of or shift from the point
2
: a minor objection or criticism
Did you know?
There's not much to quibble about when it comes to the origins of the verb quibble: it followed the noun quibble, meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism," into the language in the mid-17th century. That word is likely a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, also referring to an evasion of or shift from the point. Quib, in turn, likely comes from a form of Latin qui, meaning "who," that is also a distant relation of our word who.
Examples of quibble in a Sentence
Verb
he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Noun
Our only quibble about the trip was that it rained a lot.
Recent Examples on the Web
Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
These seemingly arbitrary small items are essentially sweeteners to win over lawmakers who might quibble with the broader thrust of the legislation.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.
—arkansasonline.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
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Verb
If the Cubs can get back to the Series this October, few will quibble about however high of a price Hoyer pays to get there.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
These seemingly arbitrary small items are essentially sweeteners to win over lawmakers who might quibble with the broader thrust of the legislation.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
Noun
One quibble: the notable lack of San Diego beers made this a bittersweet read.
—Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 July 2025
Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.
—arkansasonline.com, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quibble. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quibble
1 of 2 verb
quib·ble
ˈkwib-əl
quibbled; quibbling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to talk about unimportant things rather than the real point
stop quibbling about words and tell what happened
2
: to find fault or argue over unimportant points
people ignored the main point of the speech and quibbled about its length
quibble
2 of 2 noun1
: a statement that deals with a minor matter and not the real point under discussion
2
: a minor objection or criticism
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