debate

noun de·bate \ di-ˈbāt , dē- \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

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 the spark was Girardi’s tearful speech in front of players is open to debate.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "It’s no time for Don Mattingly to cry, but he might want to consider it | Miami Herald," 6 Apr. 2018
That record will reflect a respectful and rigorous debate and an unprecedented understanding of the challenges before us.

— josh kurtz, Scientific American, "If Democrats Retake Congress, Could House Climate Committee Come Back?," 2 Apr. 2018
New research adds to the debate In men, there is likely to be problems with blockage in the larger coronary arteries that impede blood flow to the heart muscle.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "Heart attack and stroke symptoms: You should know the difference between men and women," 29 Mar. 2018
Of the comments, one was a link to a story on Ingraham’s apology, two were memes about the awkwardness and vapidity of the debate and one said advertisers would never leave the show, though that comment came after several had already left.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Laura Ingraham apologizes, David Hogg says no thanks, and readers split on efficacy of advertiser boycotts," 29 Mar. 2018
The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The EPA Is Instructing Its Staffers to Cast Doubt on Climate Science," 28 Mar. 2018
Confederate sympathizers from around the country and threats sent from across the internet added fuel to the debate.

— carlie kollath wells, NOLA.com, "Mayor Mitch Landrieu wins JFK Profile in Courage award for Confederate monuments removal," 27 Mar. 2018
Her 400-plus writers live-tweet political debates and solicit readers for story ideas.

— caitlin harrington, WIRED, "It's Getting Easier for Teens to Achieve Early Stardom," 27 Mar. 2018
And that brings us to our debate: Should CBS and Turner stop showing crying kids at NCAA tournament games?

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Should CBS and Turner stop showing crying kids at NCAA tournament games?," 22 Mar. 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

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

Anyone who’s paid attention to Courier Journal (or my email inbox!) over the last few weeks will be familiar with the stories about recent and much-debated pruning of a few Washington Street pear trees that has ignited a firestorm of passion.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "To cut trees or not cut the trees. That is the burning question in Louisville's Butchertown," 6 Apr. 2018
Carolinians love to argue about a lot of things, but debating favorite beaches is near the top, somewhere just below anything involving Duke and UNC.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "'Experts' name best beach in NC. Carolinians are already arguing about it. | Charlotte Observer," 6 Apr. 2018
Harvick believes the old guys vs. new guys debate only helps energize a fan base.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Why an unfiltered Kevin Harvick is so confident returning to Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Apr. 2018
Watch us debate that in the video and subscribe to the Ohio State Football on cleveland.com channel on YouTube.

— tim bielik, cleveland.com, "Will Ohio State continue to rotate three cornerbacks in 2018? Buckeyes football analysis," 4 Apr. 2018
Ivey's campaign, when asked if the governor's position on not debating had changed, fired back directly at Battle on Tuesday afternoon.

— paul gattis, AL.com, "Gov. Kay Ivey ducks debates, won't face GOP challengers on stage," 4 Apr. 2018
But these were specific practices that helped grow the business, which the very existence of Bosworth’s memo highlights were controversial. That Bosworth would write a memo on Facebook openly debating growth tactics is not a problem.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Zuckerberg Says Balancing Facebook's Business and Community Is 'Quite Easy'," 4 Apr. 2018
The war of words over the Porton Down analysis comes at an especially sensitive time, since Britain is debating additional responses to the attack.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Truth and Lies in Britain and Russia," 4 Apr. 2018
The German law has also inspired other European countries: In recent months, France and the United Kingdom, among others, have passed or debated similar measures.

— yascha mounk, The New Republic, "Germany’s risky law for stopping hate speech on Facebook and Twitter," 3 Apr. 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

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

DEBATE Defined for Kids

debate

noun de·bate \ di-ˈbāt \

Definition of debate for Students

1 : a discussion or argument carried on between two teams or sides

2 : a discussion of issues We had a debate over where to go on vacation.

debate

verb

Definition of debate for Students

debated; debating

1 : to discuss a question by giving arguments on both sides : take part in a debate

2 : to consider reasons for and against : give serious and careful thought to

Mrs. Welsch seemed to be debating whether to say what she finally did.
—Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy

—

debater

noun

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debate

Definition of debate

debatement

debater

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DEBATE Defined for English Language Learners

debate

Definition of debate for English Language Learners

debate

Definition of debate for English Language Learners

DEBATE Defined for Kids

debate

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debate

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debater

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