dispute

verb dis·pute \ di-ˈspyüt \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of dispute

disputed; disputing

intransitive verb

: to engage in argument : debate; especially : to argue irritably or with irritating persistence

transitive verb

1 a : to make the subject of verbal controversy or disputation

Legislators hotly disputed the bill.

b : to call into question or cast doubt upon

Her honesty was never disputed.

The witness disputed the defendant's claim.

2 a : to struggle against : oppose

disputed the advance of the invaders

b : to contend over

disputing ownership of the land

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disputable

play \di-ˈspyü-tə-bəl, ˈdis-pyə-\ adjective

—

disputably

play \-blē\ adverb

—

disputer

noun

See dispute defined for English-language learners

See dispute defined for kids

Examples of dispute in a Sentence

You can dispute your bill if you believe it is inaccurate.
These estimates are hotly disputed by scientists.
No one ever disputed that it was the right decision.
The source of the text has been disputed for centuries.
a part of the city where two drug gangs are disputing territory

Recent Examples of dispute from the Web

Reuters reports that they were told to remove references suggesting that the three are separate countries, a claim the Chinese government has long disputed.

— adam shaw, Fox News, "White House slams China's demands to US airlines as 'Orwellian nonsense'," 5 May 2018
The longtime director and choreographer for the Redskins’ cheerleaders disputed the account presented in the article.

— Washington Post, "The Redskins cheerleaders cheer on the home team and urge them to fight. Now they’ve got to fight for themselves.," 5 May 2018
Burks has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment for this story, but disputed what Conroy wrote in a statement Thursday.

— daniella diaz and daniel burke, CNN, "Catholic League calls for Ryan to fire his chief of staff over handling of House chaplain," 4 May 2018
Despite 20 rounds of talks, their 2,200-mile border remains disputed.

— sadanand dhume, WSJ, "Modi Signals Weakness by Making Nice With China’s Xi," 3 May 2018
Stephanie Jojokian, the longtime director and choreographer for the Redskins’ cheerleaders, disputed much of the women’s description of the Costa Rica trip.

— juliet macur, New York Times, "Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Describe Topless Photo Shoot and Uneasy Night Out," 2 May 2018
Later, Artur would relay the sequence of events as follows, although Stephayne and Michael dispute their alleged motivations—and only the three who sat at the table during those dinners in the summer of 2012 know the honest origins of the plot.

— daniel riley, GQ, "The Great High School Impostor," 1 May 2018
People aren't notified if they're added to the list and can't dispute their inclusion, critics said.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Chicago police gang database criticized for inaccuracies," 1 May 2018
The White House has defended Jackson and disputed many of the allegations made in a memo distributed by Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats this week about him.

— emily stewart, Vox, "Trump calls for Jon Tester to resign over Ronny Jackson saga on Twitter," 28 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of dispute

Middle English, from Anglo-French desputer, from Latin disputare to discuss, from dis- + putare to think

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

dispute Synonyms

Phrases

call in question (or into);

dispute

noun dis·pute \ di-ˈspyüt , ˈdis-ˌpyüt \

Definition of dispute

1 a : verbal controversy : debate

a dispute about what to do with the surplus

a landlord-tenant dispute

legal disputes

The matter is still in dispute.

b : quarrel

Police were called to a domestic dispute.

2 obsolete : physical combat

See dispute defined for English-language learners

Examples of dispute in a Sentence

They could not settle their dispute.
There is a labor dispute between workers and management.
The two farmers are involved in a land dispute.

Recent Examples of dispute from the Web

Certegy's failure to address consumer disputes could have caused people's checks to continue being declined without a valid reason, the FTC said.

— teresa dixon murray, cleveland.com, "Huntington customer's checks suddenly get declined at stores: Money Matters," 6 May 2018
Enbridge denied violating the agreement, saying there was an honest dispute over when the clock had started.

— Washington Post, "Enbridge fined $1.8M for missing pipe inspection deadlines," 5 May 2018
BEIJING – Chinese and American officials meeting in Beijing agreed to set up a mechanism to work through an escalating dispute over trade at the end of talks Friday, Chinese state media said.

— gillian wong, Fox News, "China says 'big differences' with US remain after talks," 5 May 2018
Giuliani did not consult every member of the president's legal team, or the network of lawyers around Washington whose clients have been entangled in Trump's legal disputes, according to several people close to the team.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Giuliani may have exposed Trump to new legal threats," 4 May 2018
What began as a student protest became a labor dispute which actually became a political crisis.

— kate keller, Smithsonian, "Fifty Years Later, France Is Still Debating the Legacy of Its 1968 Protests," 4 May 2018
Oak Park Criminal damage Someone threw several store shelves onto the ground after a verbal dispute at BP Gas, 7140 W. Roosevelt Road, at 10:05 a.m. April 27, then left the store and drove away in a silver Nissan sedan.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Dispute leads man to throw store shelves at Oak Park gas station," 4 May 2018
Bitter territorial disputes over islands in the East China Sea and long-running grievances dating back to World War II have dogged the Japan-China relationship for decades.

— ben westcott, CNN, "In a first, Japanese and Chinese leaders talk by phone," 4 May 2018
And Siciliano added that pulling Ku’s contract would trigger a lengthy legal dispute.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Bronin Vows To Fine Landlord of Hartford Housing Complex; Penalties Could Reach $10K A Day," 4 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of dispute

see ¹dispute

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1555

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

dispute Synonyms

Synonyms

controversy, debate, difference, difficulty, disagreement, disputation, dissension (also dissention), firestorm;

Antonyms

accord, agreement, consensus, harmony, unanimity;

Near Antonyms

acceptance, compliance;

concord, peace;

combat, contention, strife, struggle;

altercation, argument, bicker, falling-out, fight, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, set-to;

DISPUTE Defined for English Language Learners

dispute

verb

Definition of dispute for English Language Learners

: to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal
: to argue about (something)
: to fight in order to take control of (something)

dispute

noun

Definition of dispute for English Language Learners

: a disagreement or argument

DISPUTE Defined for Kids

dispute

verb dis·pute \ di-ˈspyüt \

Definition of dispute for Students

disputed; disputing

1 : to question or deny the truth or rightness of

No one ever disputed the story.

2 : argue 1

The boys disputed over who won the race.

3 : to fight over

The two nations disputed the territory.

Word Root of dispute

The Latin word putāre, meaning “to think,” gives us the root put. Words from the Latin putāre have something to do with thinking. A reputation is what other people think about something or someone. To compute is to use math to think about a bunch of numbers together in order to answer a problem. To dispute is to argue because two or more people think different things.

dispute

noun

Definition of dispute for Students

1 : ¹debate 3

It is a fact beyond dispute.

2 : ¹quarrel 1

Law Dictionary

dispute

verb dis·pute \ di-ˈspyüt \

legal Definition of dispute

disputed; disputing

intransitive verb

: to engage in a dispute

disputing with management over contract terms

transitive verb

: to engage in a dispute over

disputing the correct application of the contract provision

; especially : to oppose by argument or assertion

disputed changes to the grievance procedure

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disputable

play \di-ˈspyü-tə-bəl, ˈdis-pyə-tə-bəl\ adjective

dispute

noun

legal Definition of dispute

: an assertion of opposing views or claims : a disagreement as to rights; especially : one that is the subject of proceedings for resolution (as arbitration)