quibble

verb

/ˈkwɪbl/

[intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they quibble	/ˈkwɪbl/ /ˈkwɪbl/
he / she / it quibbles	/ˈkwɪblz/ /ˈkwɪblz/
past simple quibbled	/ˈkwɪbld/ /ˈkwɪbld/
past participle quibbled	/ˈkwɪbld/ /ˈkwɪbld/
-ing form quibbling	/ˈkwɪblɪŋ/ /ˈkwɪblɪŋ/

jump to other results

quibble (about/over something) to argue or complain about a small matter or an unimportant detail
- It isn't worth quibbling over such a small amount.
Topics Opinion and argumentc2
Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘play on words, pun’): diminutive of obsolete quib ‘a petty objection’, probably from Latin quibus, dative and ablative plural of qui, quae, quod ‘who, what, which’, frequently used in legal documents and so associated with subtle distinctions or verbal niceties.

noun

/ˈkwɪbl/

jump to other results

a small complaint or criticism, especially one that is not important
- minor quibbles
- The only quibble about this book is the lack of colour illustrations.
- The machine comes with a three-year no quibble guarantee.
Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘play on words, pun’): diminutive of obsolete quib ‘a petty objection’, probably from Latin quibus, dative and ablative plural of qui, quae, quod ‘who, what, which’, frequently used in legal documents and so associated with subtle distinctions or verbal niceties.