debate

noun de·bate \ di-ˈbāt , dē- \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 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

Robert Scheer/IndyStar Attorney General Jeff Sessions sparked a heated two-fold debate on immigration and the meaning of a Bible passage while speaking Thursday in Fort Wayne.

— dakota crawford, Indianapolis Star, "Sessions cites Romans 13 to defend Trump's immigration policy, raises Christians' ire," 15 June 2018
The rankings, while completely unscientific and definitely up for debate, are based, in part, on the players' current and recent success, their status on their team and in their league, and their career achievement.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "TCU Power Index: Could 2018 be Josh Doctson's breakout year in the pros?," 14 June 2018
The Senate voted 91-4 late Monday to begin debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, including an amendment that will keep restrictions on ZTE.

— Fortune, "ZTE Shares Are Trading Again After Its Sanctions Deal With Trump. The Bad News? They're Tanking," 13 June 2018
Crowds of supporters and opponents of the measure have been watching the debate on large screens set up outside Congress.

— Fox News, "Argentine Congress begins debate on legal elective abortion," 13 June 2018
One such ending that’s currently up for debate is the popular ‘ship Klaroline, AKA Klaus and Caroline.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Klaus and Caroline May Get a Happy Ending on "The Originals"," 12 June 2018
Shortly after starting his headlining set on the What Stage, three separate blasts rang out during his performance sparking debate on social media over whether such sound effects are appropriate in the context of recent mass shootings.

— juan buitrago, USA TODAY, "'Gunshot' sound effects during Eminem's Bonnaroo set prompt backlash," 10 June 2018
Democrats have also agreed to debates on July 18 and Aug. 2.

— anthony man, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Democratic governor candidates (minus one) facing off in debates," 9 June 2018
The bill was approved by a House committee but never brought before the full House for debate.

— jason hancock, kansascity, "Parson voted to outlaw LGBT discrimination. Would he sign that law as governor?," 7 June 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

There’s no time to get the wording of the compromise text wrong because it will probably be debated and voted on in the House of Lords on Monday, according to one senior government official.

— tim ross, Bloomberg.com, "U.K.'s May Scrambles for Brexit Compromise as Tory Tensions Rise," 13 June 2018
To avoid that, Reboyras scheduled the five public meetings to debate all four proposals.

— maya dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "News / News Bites In debate over civilian oversight of Chicago police, grassroots proposals win the day," 6 June 2018
How long to brew cold brew is a topic that's hotly debated in the coffee community.

— audrey bruno, SELF, "Here's How to Make Delicious Cold Brew Coffee at Home, No Fancy Equipment Needed," 1 June 2018
The surprising findings, which were widely debated, illustrates some of the scientific intricacies involved in calculating carbon budgets.

— chelsea harvey, Scientific American, "How the “Carbon Budget” Is Causing Problems," 22 May 2018
More brows to debate over: What (brow) dreams may come...

— lindsey v thompson, Allure, "The Yanny vs. Laurel Debate Just Became Brow Art," 18 May 2018
As Hermione and Fred are debating whether or not Midge's killer has been apprehended, the Black Hood appears with a shotgun.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riverdale Season 2 Episode 20: The Black Hood Returns and the Serpents Aren't Safe," 3 May 2018
And that authorization is not in the budget lawmakers are debating, reportedly held up by the GOP leadership of the state Senate.

— mary jo pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com, "What if Arizona received $60 million but couldn't spend it? That might happen," 3 May 2018
Jahnigen and the board members debated the matter for nearly 45 minutes.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Two Harford schools in moratorium status," 1 May 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