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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
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 June 2024
My central criticism of The Post’s approach to covering Indigenous cultural property issues, however, is a matter of substance rather than quibbling about quotation choices and placement.
—W. Richard West, The Denver Post, 14 June 2024
Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 15 June 2024
At the end of the day, these quibbles should mostly be taken as evidence that anyone projected as a late first-round pick in a draft class this shaky has holes in their game.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 7 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for quibble 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quibble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quibble
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quibble. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quibble
1 of 2 verb
quibble
2 of 2 noun
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