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
Both were part of Richmond’s circle, and both were ready to debate an idea without deleting the debater.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Not focusing on data can drive a traditional debater crazy.
—Lisa Pavia-Higel, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Leaders can make that distinction explicit by asking debaters to move from critique to contribution.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Porter is a talented debater but seemed overly defensive about her past hot temper.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
High school debaters are much more polite and reasonable, even compared to presidential candidates, the group’s president, Walt Breitinger, observed.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Judging simply by the crowd’s response, the debaters arguing that CSOs remain relevant won handily.
—Justin Worland, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Not focusing on data can drive a traditional debater crazy.
—Lisa Pavia-Higel, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Leaders can make that distinction explicit by asking debaters to move from critique to contribution.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Porter is a talented debater but seemed overly defensive about her past hot temper.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
High school debaters are much more polite and reasonable, even compared to presidential candidates, the group’s president, Walt Breitinger, observed.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Judging simply by the crowd’s response, the debaters arguing that CSOs remain relevant won handily.
—Justin Worland, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debater
Noun
-
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
-
Under the current law, judges must presume mental illness was a factor if a defendant with a legitimate diagnosis seeks diversion.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Coleman, Carter's co-defendant, was arrested by Murfreesboro Police SWAT officers at his home in Murfreesboro.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Martha’s father, a law professor, had trained her to be a rational, step-by-step arguer.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The plaintiffs allege Bio-Lab and the parent company, Kik LLC, had a history of chemical storage issues, and staff incorrectly tried to put out a water-reactive chemical reaction by adding water before the fire began, thereby causing the fire and toxic gas plume.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
-
Using the algorithm, station owners inflated gasoline by as much as 22 cents a gallon and diesel by 33 cents, on top of already high prices caused by the US war with Iran, the plaintiffs alleged.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
ElAttrache performed surgery on McGregor in July 2021, inserting a rod, plates and screws into his left leg after the fighter broke his tibia and fibula during a mixed martial arts bout against Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
-
Rather than flying directly over enemy territory, strategic bombers can launch stand-off weapons from safer distances while remaining protected by friendly air defenses and fighter escorts.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
Instead, another contestant was named the winner.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
First performed as an Edinburgh Fringe one-off, where contestants included a bunch of Horne’s comedian friends, Taskmaster has grown into a genuine phenomenon.—
Alex Horne,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer and longtime civil rights advocate, said generations of Black farmers have faced barriers accessing government loans and agricultural assistance programs.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
But he and other LGBTQ+ advocates also say that the current political climate, with its backlash to gay rights progress, is playing a role.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Willis is a clear scrapper who can really move.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As a result, a production version was never made, and the prototype was, like many project cars, sent to the scrapper.—
Brett Berk,
Robb Report,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debater. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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