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?
Quibble is most familiar as a verb, but it can also function as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of quibble settled into English in the mid-17th century, presumably (though not definitively) as a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, meaning “quibble.” Quib in turn may have come from a form of Latin qui, meaning “who,” a distant relation also 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
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2025
And for suborbital space tourism, quibbling over definitions can take on a life of its own.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
The series about how small-time thief Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) became a Rebel hero in time for his ultimate sacrifice in 2016’s Rogue One was so well-received that one of the audience’s only quibbles actually pertained to the minimal number of alien characters.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
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Verb
Behind closed doors and then eventually in media sessions, Vermes quibbled that Sporting’s spending hadn’t kept up with the rest of the league, leaving a stale roster.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2025
And for suborbital space tourism, quibbling over definitions can take on a life of its own.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
My only quibble is the costume team’s decision to accessorize Smoke in blue and Stack in flame red.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
The series about how small-time thief Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) became a Rebel hero in time for his ultimate sacrifice in 2016’s Rogue One was so well-received that one of the audience’s only quibbles actually pertained to the minimal number of alien characters.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 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 27 Apr. 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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