Cry about river squabble (5)
I believe the answer is:
brawl
'squabble' is the definition.
(both can mean a fight)
'cry about river' is the wordplay.
'cry' becomes 'bawl' (synonyms).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'river' becomes 'r' (abbreviation for river).
'bawl' placed around 'r' is 'BRAWL'.
(Other definitions for brawl that I've seen before include "squabble" , "Melee" , "Abounding" , "Noisy crowd fight" , "Rough, noisy fight" .)