skirmish
n. countablen. a short fight between small groups of soldiers. It can also mean a small, quick argument between people who disagree.
n. a brief and unplanned episode of irregular or minor fighting, typically between small detachments of armies. Often used figuratively to describe a minor dispute or contest.
The two armies had a small skirmish near the border.
What began as a minor skirmish over a parking space quickly turned into a loud argument involving the whole street.
Historians describe the event not as a full-scale battle, but as a series of brief skirmishes that eventually forced the smaller force to retreat into the mountains.
From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.
Often takes the preposition 'with' or 'between'.