debaters

noun

plural of debater
as in defendants
a person who takes part in a dispute the debater was unable to come up with a convincing rebuttal for his opponent's argument

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 debaters The debaters themselves hold the incentive to say extreme statements to become a viral clip as well. — Vriti Shah, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026 Habitual debaters often blur these distinctions. — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 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 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 Her debaters warned of a slippery slope. — Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debaters
  1. defendants
  2. plaintiffs
  3. fighters
  4. contestants
  5. advocates
  6. brawlers
Noun
  • The negligence lawsuit names FDOT and 14 companies as defendants.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Emily Moreno and Zashin are the subjects of Miller’s defamation lawsuit, which alleged the defendants disseminated domestic abuse allegations that were then published by national and regional news outlets.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026
Definition of defendants
Noun
  • Several class actions were filed by broadcast reporters, podcasters, narrators, and voice actors against Google and other tech companies for using the plaintiffs’ voices to train their AI systems.
    — Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Government attorneys argue that the transfers don't violate the injunction because the judge didn't require the plaintiffs to be housed alongside cisgender female inmates or share common spaces with them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of plaintiffs
Noun
  • The militias said at least 20 fighters were killed in the attacks.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 July 2026
  • The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined the United States in attacking fighters aligned with Iran, the Gulf state’s Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of fighters
Noun
  • The film follows the five-day competition at the Navajo Nation Fair, where seven contestants are evaluated in a series of events designed to test their knowledge of Navajo culture and language.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
  • A number of the contestants had evidently brought their own cheering sections.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of contestants
Noun
  • The debate between Medicare for All and Medicare by Choice advocates is shaping up to be an interesting one in the coming years.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But in Michigan and other battleground states the administration hopes to win over come the November midterms, state officials and Medicaid advocates are bracing for changes to Medicaid that will significantly alter enrollment rates and eligibility.
    — Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of advocates
Noun
  • 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
  • Displacing the ’90s boom bap and aughts brawlers of her last album is a streak of assiduous ’80s R&B exercises that foreground her gains as a vocalist more often than her gobstopping wordplay as a rapper.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Definition of brawlers

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Cite this Entry

“Debaters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debaters. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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