al ‧ ter ‧ ca ‧ tion /ˌɔːltəˈkeɪʃ ə n $ ˌɒːltər-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin altercatio , from altercari 'to quarrel' ]
formal a short noisy argument:
They became involved in an altercation.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ when people hit or attack each other
▪ fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
He had a fight with an older boy.
|
the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
▪ battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
|
a battle between two rival gangs
▪ scuffle a short fight that is not very violent:
There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
▪ punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
The game turned into a punch-up.
▪ brawl a noisy fight between a group of people:
He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
▪ altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
▪ riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
The book provoked riots all over Europe.