as in disputant
a person who takes part in a dispute
the debater was unable to come up with a convincing rebuttal for his opponent's argument
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Recent Examples of debater
Dylan Black, a SDA freshman who took the pilot course this year, said the class allowed students to learn more about each other and also become better debaters and thinkers.
—
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
The fraud debaters offer many preferred litmus tests.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
The college boys would gather around a charpoy set in front of the food stall, playing for cups of tea or plates of biscuits, contemplating the next move with the seriousness of parliamentary debaters, discussing strategy.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Curtis and Kirk were indeed to be found on opposite ends of virtually every hot-button cultural issue on which the latter made his name as a debater and provocateur.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Her debaters warned of a slippery slope.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Kirk became known as a fierce ― and controversial ― debater.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Rutledge referred to Kirk's reputation as an enthusiastic debater and turning those debates into viral social media content.
—Ella McCarthy, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2025
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
The fraud debaters offer many preferred litmus tests.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
The college boys would gather around a charpoy set in front of the food stall, playing for cups of tea or plates of biscuits, contemplating the next move with the seriousness of parliamentary debaters, discussing strategy.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Curtis and Kirk were indeed to be found on opposite ends of virtually every hot-button cultural issue on which the latter made his name as a debater and provocateur.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Her debaters warned of a slippery slope.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Kirk became known as a fierce ― and controversial ― debater.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Rutledge referred to Kirk's reputation as an enthusiastic debater and turning those debates into viral social media content.
—Ella McCarthy, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debater
Noun
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The Jay Treaty asked the disputants merely to start a process leading to the appointment of arbitrators qualified to decide their disputes fairly and finally.—
Tom Bell,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2025
-
The audience and actor are like disputants kept in different rooms, forbidden to see each other fully.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Prosecutors say the defendant failed to take into account his girlfriend’s inexperience in mountain climbing as well as the harsh winter conditions.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
That has invited court challenges from defendants with cases before federal prosecutors and drawn resistance from judges who say the appointments are unlawful.—
JESSICA HILL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The filing went on to say the plaintiffs demonstrated that criminal activity indeed takes place at the Eco Motel, and that the motel’s owners are aware of and tolerate that activity.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
-
After years of fighting Roundup cases in the US, Bayer still faces about 67,000 claims from plaintiffs who allege long-term exposure to glyphosate through Roundup caused their cancer.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The fighters will use four-ounce gloves and will face off inside a hexagon cage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
India already operates two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets and last year signed a deal to purchase 26 marine variants of the stealth fighter for the navy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In mixed teams, male and female athletes compete together, with each country fielding three contestants.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In a new interview, the model and reality TV personality reflects on the often-meme'd moment from 2010's cycle 14, which saw Tyra Banks' cast of model hopefuls dodge the menacing pendulums that wobbled back and forth as contestants navigated the runway.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The move was fiercely criticized by Epstein’s victims and their advocates.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
His detention on Thursday drew sharp condemnation from press freedom advocates, who described it as an attack on media independence and democratic norms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Everton, during that period, were little more than relegation scrappers, thanks to two significant points deductions in Dyche’s two seasons at the club.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
No one on the Texas squad has spent more time in the program than Maloney, a no-nonsense scrapper from Missouri who set a school single-season record with 93 hits a year ago.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Paul returned to the ring in June against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, son of the legendary Mexican brawler.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The episodes saw 12 brawlers face off in teams led by Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso, aiming to win over judges Williamson, Carson Kressley and Rodney Scott.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debater. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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