debate

noun de·bate \ di-ˈbāt , dē- \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: debate in a Sentence

Definition of debate

: a contention by words or arguments

Our polite chat about politics became a heated debate.

The case sparked a raging public debate on property rights.

: such as

a law, government : the formal discussion of a motion (see ¹motion 3a) before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure

b : a regulated discussion of a proposition (see ¹proposition 1b) between two matched sides

the last presidential debate before the election

the debate's moderator

See debate defined for English-language learners

See debate defined for kids

Examples of debate in a Sentence

The candidates participated in several debates before the election was held.
The meaning of the text has been the subject of considerable debate among scholars for many years.

Recent Examples of debate from the Web

Whether that’s all true or speculation, though, is still up for debate.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "A Look Back at All of Queen Elizabeth's Presidential Meetings," 13 July 2018
Who do these voters blame for the dangerous debate?

— dana blanton, Fox News, "Fox News Poll: Democrats ahead in election enthusiasm, interest -- and the vote," 12 July 2018
In the case of Stormi's ears, Twitter users are particularly fired up for a debate.

— abby gardner, Glamour, "Kylie Jenner Pierced 5-Month-Old Stormi's Ears, and People Have a Lot of Feelings About It," 12 July 2018
On Thursday, July 12, five Republicans will gather at the Cabaret Theatre at Mohegan Sun for a debate.

— christopher keating, courant.com, "No Debates Set in Lt Governor's Primary," 11 July 2018
British law requires any petition supported by more than 100,000 people to be considered for parliamentary debate, even though there was no serious attempt to prohibit Trump from coming to Britain.

— Washington Post, "Trump will get red carpet treatment in UK — and big protests," 11 July 2018
That said, the extent to which shoes can really impact race day performance is still very much up for debate.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Is it Fair for Runners to Compete in Prototypes?," 10 July 2018
The petition quickly garnered over a million signatures, triggering the requirement for a debate in British parliament.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "A Brief History of Donald Trump’s Controversial Interactions with the British Royal Family," 9 July 2018
The amendments were disclosed on the eve of the committee vote, and railroaded through without any time for debate.

— makena kelly, The Verge, "A revamped California net neutrality bill is moving forward again," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'debate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of debate

see ²debate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

debate Synonyms

debate

verb

Definition of debate

debated; debating

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : fight, contend

2 a : to contend in words

b : to discuss a question by considering opposed arguments

3 : to participate in a debate

the six primary candidates who debated last night

transitive verb

1 a : to argue about

the subject was hotly debated

b : to engage (an opponent) in debate

a governor debating her challenger

2 : to turn over in one's mind : to think about (something, such as different options) in order to decide

still debating what to do

—

debatement

play \-ˈbāt-mənt\ noun

—

debater

noun

See debate defined for English-language learners

Examples of debate in a Sentence

Scholars have been debating the meaning of the text for years.
Whether or not the tax cuts benefit the lower classes is still hotly debated among economists.
The energy bill is currently being debated in Congress.
The President debated his challenger in front of a live audience on Tuesday.
The students debated for an hour.

Recent Examples of debate from the Web

After the petition drive, Google employees are debating whether, when and how to go public in the future.

— joseph menn, The Christian Science Monitor, "Silicon Valley employees increasingly push companies on ethics," 13 July 2018
Evers and his seven Democratic rivals are debating at 6 p.m. at the Mainstage Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Scott Walker and Tony Evers duel in billboards ahead of Democratic debate," 12 July 2018
There is also evidence that the Atlantic circulation is weakening again, although scientists certainly do not think a total shutoff is imminent, and are still debating the causes of what is being observed.

— christopher mooney, BostonGlobe.com, "Scientists may have solved a huge riddle that led to more than 1,000 years of cold on Earth. It doesn’t bode well," 12 July 2018
Officials are now debating the best way and moment to extricate them from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system.

— radhika viswanathan, Vox, "The 4 risky options to rescue the Thai boys trapped in a cave, explained," 7 July 2018
Indeed, as late as the beginning of the twentieth century, New Yorkers were debating legislative bills about whether women should be allowed to eat out without a male escort.

— dana snitzky, Longreads, "Eating Alone," 6 July 2018
The Episcopal Church is debating whether to overhaul the Book of Common Prayer, in large part to make clear that God doesn’t have a gender.

— julie zauzmer, The Seattle Times, "Episcopal Church debates gendered language for God," 3 July 2018
Wade, who returned to the Heat in February in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is still debating whether to return to the NBA for a 16th season or retire.

— jordan mcpherson, miamiherald, "Shaq reminisces on time with Heat, thinks Pat Riley will 'make some moves this summer'," 28 June 2018
At Cactus Jack's, where license plates adorn the walls and riders are asked to park their bikes two to a spot to make room, Harley owners are debating the fallout of the president's feud.

— trevor hughes, USA TODAY, "Trump's battle with Harley-Davidson over foreign tariffs tests motorcycle riders' loyalty," 28 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of debate

Middle English, from Anglo-French debatre, from de- + batre to beat, from Latin battuere

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

debate Synonyms

Synonyms

chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, deliberate, entertain, eye, kick around, meditate, mull (over), perpend, ponder, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with);

Near Antonyms

disregard, ignore, overlook, slight;

dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject;

analyze, explore, review;

conclude, reason;

second-guess, speculate (about);

brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over);

believe, conceive, opine;

absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in);

Phrases

beat one's brains out (about), chew on, cudgel one's brains (about), look at;

Synonym Discussion of debate

discuss, argue, debate mean to discourse about in order to reach conclusions or to convince. discuss implies a sifting of possibilities especially by presenting considerations pro and con.

- discussed the need for a new highway

argue implies the offering of reasons or evidence in support of convictions already held.

- argued that the project would be too costly

debate suggests formal or public argument between opposing parties

- debated the merits of the amendment

; it may also apply to deliberation with oneself.

- I'm debating whether I should go

DEBATE Defined for English Language Learners

debate

noun

Definition of debate for English Language Learners

: a discussion between people in which they express different opinions about something

debate

verb

Definition of debate for English Language Learners

: to discuss (something) with people whose opinions are different from your own
: to compete against (someone) in a debate : to argue against another person's opinions as part of an organized event
: to think about (something) in order to decide what to do