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
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
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
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
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
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
-
The University of Kansas Hospital Authority settled with the Noltes shortly before the trial, and District Court Judge Courtney Mikesic approved the confidential settlement on April 13, dismissing KU Med as a defendant.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Tupac’s stepbrother, Maurice Shakur, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Duane Davis and unnamed defendants, claiming recent developments point to a broader conspiracy behind the rapper’s death.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 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 plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, Gregory Craig, the attorney for the National Trust, wrote to Assistant Attorney General Breet Shumate, who had urged the plaintiffs to drop the case, citing the events at the Correspondents’ Dinner.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
State-of-the-art drones, and the technology needed to intercept them, have become as important to national weapons arsenals as missiles, Patriot systems, fighter jets, and warships.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The teens were also said to have been involved in online groups recruiting fighters for IS militants in Syria and shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, LGBTQ+ people and others, officials said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Six contestants will be forced to stay awake for 48 hours while enduring intense and nonstop challenges.—
Scott Huver,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Hernández’s introduction note among the MGI All Stars contestants highlighted her personal story of resilience and persistence.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These developments add to growing concerns among rights advocates over restrictions on independent media, civil society and any dissenting voices under Saied.—
Ghaya ben Mbarek,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Rebuilding Penn Station has been a white whale for transit advocates and civic leaders since the 1990s.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 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 30 Apr. 2026.
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