debated 1 of 2

debated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of debate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debated
Adjective
In any case, the moment quickly became one of the most debated events in rock history. — Kara Rogers Britannica Editors July 16, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 July 2026 The most debated issue this week is over AI data centers, with every candidate trying to position themselves as the most against them. — Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 Now this may be my most controversial and debated stance about Pride Nights and the LGBTQ movement. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026 Ahead of the 2026 Met Gala, here's a look back at the iconic event's most daring — and most debated — style moments. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 The most controversial and debated article on Mint Press News is about the use of chemical agents in the Syrian civil war. — Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026 The trade, approved under new team governor Patrick Dumont, has remained one of the most debated moves in recent NBA history, according to sports analysts, with lingering questions about communication within the organization and the long-term direction of the franchise. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 The referendum centers on long debated reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of Italy’s judiciary. — ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 Safety aspects of autonomous vehicles remain debated, but industry groups claim the technology could reduce road fatalities by removing human error from driving. — Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Swiss neutrality has been enshrined in the constitution since the mid-19th century, but its meaning has been debated for years. — Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026 The state’s practice of charging prisoners was debated by the state legislature. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 In 2014, under pressure from the activist investor ValueAct, Motorola Solutions board members debated whether to sell the whole company. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Tokenization has spent most of its life as an insider’s topic, debated at conferences and written about in trade publications that never reach the people who decide where capital goes. — Ivan Kan, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Board members debated whether the $250,000 should be returned before the financial statements were approved. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026 On Wednesday, two bored members of the press corps sat in the briefing room and debated the timing of the court hearing on the challenge to Trump’s ban. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 Elsewhere in Georgia, deepfakes have shaken up several elections, and state lawmakers have debated how to respond to the issue for years. — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026 But experts have long debated how to diagnose those problems and whether to treat them by replacing the hormone. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Adjective
  • The protests follow a disputed election and government crackdown that drove Machado and other opposition leaders into hiding.
    — Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In one of the latest incidents, the Philippine military in July accused China's coast guard of injuring a Filipino sailor at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • For more than a year, industry stakeholders in Georgia and the rest of the country have pondered how public policy could help jolt the film industry in the United States.
    — Savannah Sicurella, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Many have pondered why Mexicans and Mexican Americans have such an affinity for those blokes from across the pond.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Singer discussed their tragic loss in the wake of news that Jamie Lee Curtis will be honored by the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Under the memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June that collapsed within days, Iran's nuclear program was meant to be discussed over a 60-day period.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The idea of using data from health information exchanges for research is controversial because of privacy concerns.
    — Brittany Trang, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The claim was made this week by Charles Spencer himself, the ninth Earl Spencer, in Swan Song, his controversial memoir about his sister Princess Diana.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Nvidia and other chipmakers fell more than 3% as investors contemplated the possibility that frontier labs could deliberately slow model development, and thus the massive infrastructure buildout thus far designed to support it.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • At the southern tip of Key Biscayne, where Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic meet, developers had contemplated ambitious projects for what is now Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Supporters of the plan, led by the Swiss People's Party, which includes members with pro-Russia leanings, argued that the government had gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, particularly over Russia's war in Ukraine.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In the 1920s, mathematician Alfred Lotka argued that evolution favors whatever captures and puts to use the most energy.
    — Canan Karakoç, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Virginia’s 5th is not normally considered a competitive district.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The location is along the Burke-Gilman trail next to Lake Union, and is considered the trail’s access point for runners and bikers.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • New discoveries at an ancient site in Greece are revealing the remains of a sprawling royal complex where young Macedonians studied and trained — offering new clues about a school tied to one of history's most legendary rulers.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers at England’s Oxford University studied every Olympics between 1960 and 2016 and found that every single one of them went over budget, by an average of roughly 150% to 170%.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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