# spat

/ˈspæt/ (US) · /spˈæt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/spat
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. a small argument

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a short, unimportant argument or disagreement between people.

For teachers: a brief, petty quarrel or minor disagreement, often between friends or partners.

- The couple had a quick spat about whose turn it was to cook dinner.
- What began as a minor spat over office supplies eventually escalated into a formal grievance involving the entire department.

### 3. young shellfish

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

very young oysters or other shellfish that have just attached to a surface.

For teachers: the spawn of shellfish, particularly oysters, or a juvenile mollusc that has recently attached to a substrate.

- The oyster farmers checked the ropes to see if any new spat had attached.
- Marine biologists monitored the settlement of oyster spat to determine the health of the local reef ecosystem after the storm.

### 4. aerodynamic cover

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a cover placed over the wheels of a car or plane to help it move smoothly through the air.

For teachers: an aerodynamic fairing or bodywork component designed to reduce drag by covering the upper portion of a vehicle's tyres.

- The vintage airplane featured elegant wheel spats that reduced wind resistance.
- By installing custom wheel spats, the engineering team managed to improve the vehicle's fuel efficiency by nearly five percent.

### 5. shoe covering

noun · CEFR C1 · Archaic

a piece of cloth worn over the top of a shoe, popular in the past.

For teachers: a short cloth or leather gaiter covering the instep and ankle, fastened under the shoe, typically worn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

- The actor wore a tuxedo and white spats for his role in the old movie.
- The gentleman's formal attire was completed by a pair of pristine linen spats, a fashion choice that had already begun to fade by the 1930s.

### 6. astronomical distance

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

an old unit of distance used in space, equal to one billion kilometres.

For teachers: an obsolete unit of astronomical distance equivalent to 10 to the power of 9 metres (one gigametre).

- In some old science books, the distance was measured in spats.
- The term spat was briefly proposed as a standard unit for interplanetary distances but never gained widespread adoption among the scientific community.

## Examples

- The couple had a quick spat about what to eat for dinner.
- After a brief spat over the seating arrangements, the committee members finally settled down to begin the meeting.
- While the media portrayed the disagreement as a major rift, it was in reality a minor spat between two colleagues who had worked together for decades.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.