dispute vs spat

dispute and spat both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
dispute	Yes	No	Yes	No
spat	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spat is a hyponym of dispute; that is, spat is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than dispute:

Other hyponyms of dispute include brawl, wrangle, polemicise, polemicize, polemise, polemize, fall out.

dispute (noun)	spat (noun)
coming into conflict with	a young oyster or other bivalve
a disagreement or argument about something important	a cloth covering (a legging) that covers the instep and ankles
	a quarrel about petty points

dispute (verb)	spat (verb)
take exception to	clap one's hands together
have a disagreement over something	spawn
	engage in a brief and petty quarrel
	clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval
	strike with a sound like that of falling rain
	become permanently attached
	come down like raindrops