shouting match
- noun
- /ˈʃaʊtɪŋ mætʃ/
- Informal
- Is it really in the best interests of American Catholicism to provoke yet another shouting match within the church?
We'll have a shouting match, we'll have a lot of hysteria from Fox News on the one side at MSNBC and the rest of the mainstream media on the other.
- We'll have a shouting match, we'll have a lot of hysteria from Fox News on the one side at MSNBC and the rest of the mainstream media on the other.
Examples
-
Again, this is not the late 1960s of angry shouting matches.
Academic text (1995) -
During the heated debate, the two politicians engaged in a shouting match that drew the attention of the entire crowd.
-
There are already enough places to engage in shouting matches about politics.
Blog text (10) -
In silence, we listened to the shouting match in the living room.
Fiction book (1992) -
We almost got into a shouting match, but you know I didn't want to show out in front of my kids.
Fiction book (2001) -
Important issues arose concerning the Red Sox game of the previous evening in the form of a shouting match between Terry and Sam.
Fiction book (1995) -
In the end, there were shouting matches that began behind closed doors and soon erupted into the hallways.
Fiction book (2000) -
We should all laugh it off rather than make this another left-wing, right-wing shouting match.
Blog text (1) -
Environmental groups and property owners' organizations have engaged in vicious public shouting matches, with each side accusing the other of extremism.
Academic text (1999) -
Most public and private encounters between conventional Arab and Jewish leaders degenerate into shouting matches.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
A strong argument between people or groups, often public
A situation when people or groups meet in direct conflict, often angrily
A short conflict between people or groups
A noisy argument between people
An angry argument between people who are usually friendly
A noisy argument between people often in public
An angry argument with someone
A noisy argument about something unimportant
A long heated argument about a specific issue
A long angry argument in public between opposing groups
An argument with strong feelings and different opinions
A strong angry disagreement between people with loud voices
A short angry argument between people that is not very serious
An argument where people speak loudly and with strong feelings
A noisy argument that lasts a long time
A noisy public fight or argument that causes trouble
A noisy argument between people, often in public
A noisy argument between people about a small issue
A short angry argument between people
A quick back-and-forth argument between people to test ideas
A very angry, petty argument with personal insults
A bitter, angry argument that causes hard feelings
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'shouting' (loud vocal expression) with 'match' (a contest or contest-like meeting): a contest characterized by shouting, i.e. a noisy argument. This compositional pattern (noun+match = a contest of X) is predictable and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows both words will likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase shouting match paints a picture of two people in a contest: each person is shouting and trying to win the match by being louder than the other. So it means 'a noisy argument' where people try to 'outshout' each other.