bicker

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: bick=er

CIDE DICTIONARY

bicker, n. [See Beaker.].

 A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub.  [1913 Webster]

bicker, v. i. [OE. bikeren, perh. fr. Celtic; cf. W. bicra to fight, bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perh. akin to E. beak.].

•  To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.  [1913 Webster]

  "Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together."  [1913 Webster]
•  To contend in petulant altercation; to wrangle.  [1913 Webster]

  "Petty things about which men cark and bicker."  [1913 Webster]
•  To move quickly and unsteadily, or with a pattering noise; to quiver; to be tremulous, like flame.  [1913 Webster]

  "They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade."  [1913 Webster]

bicker, n. 

•  A skirmish; an encounter.  [1913 Webster]
•  A fight with stones between two parties of boys.  Jamieson.  [1913 Webster]
•  A wrangle; also, a noise,, as in angry contention.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bicker, v.intr.
1 quarrel pettily; wrangle.
2 poet. a (of a stream, rain, etc.) patter (over stones etc.). b (of a flame, light, etc.) flash, flicker.

Derivative

bickerer n.

Etymology

ME biker, beker, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

bicker

altercate, argue, argufy, around the bush, bandy words, battle, beat, beat about, beg the question, bicker over, boggle, brawl, broil, caterwaul, cavil, choplogic, clack, clatter, clitter, contend, contend about, contest, cross swords, cut and thrust, dance, differ, discept, dispute, dodge, equivocate, evade, evade the issue, fall out, fence, feud, fight, fight over, flap, flick, flicker, flip, flit, flite, flitter, flop, flutter, give and take, go pitapat, gutter, hassle, have it out, have words, hedge, join issue, lock horns, logomachize, moot, mystify, nitpick, obscure, palpitate, palter, parry, pettifog, pick nits, pitter-patter, play, plead, polemicize, polemize, prevaricate, pulse, pussyfoot, quarrel, quarrel over, quibble, quiver, row, scrap, set to, shatter, shift, shuffle, shy, sidestep, slat, spar, spat, split hairs, splutter, sputter, squabble, squabble over, take issue with, take sides, tergiversate, thrash out, throb, tiff, try conclusions, war, wave, waver, wrangle, wrangle over

ROGET THESAURUS

bicker

Discord

VB be discordant, disagree, come amiss, clash, jar, jostle, pull different ways, conflict, have no measures with, misunderstand one another, live like cat and dog, differ, dissent, have a bone to pick, have a crow to pluck with, fall out, quarrel, dispute, litigate, controvert, squabble, wrangle, jangle, brangle, bicker, nag, spar, have words, with, fall foul of, split, break with, break squares with, part company with, declare war, try conclusions, join issue, put in issue, pick a quarrel, fasten a quarrel on, sow dissension, stir up dissension, embroil, entangle, disunite, widen the breach, set at odds, set together by the ears, set against, pit against, get into hot water, fish in troubled waters, brawl, kick up a row, kick up a dust, turn the house out of window, be discordant, jar.

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.