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
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Recent Examples of debaters
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
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
Noun
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Data from the Circuit Clerk of Cook County shows that 246 out of 3,048 defendants released pre-trial and placed on ankle monitoring are missing and aren't actively wearing their ankle monitor.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Tobin,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Apparently unbeknownst to the defendants, the meeting continued recording the next hour of interactions between the brothers.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The Supreme Court in February ruled against the tariffs, siding with importer plaintiffs that argued the president overstepped his authority in imposing them.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
13 May 2026
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The plaintiffs contend the deal creating the country’s largest TV station group would cut jobs, increase cable bills and decrease local news content.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Hezbollah issued a statement saying that its fighters struck Israeli troops Tuesday morning near the Litani River in the village of Deir Seryan with rockets.—
Bassem Mroue,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties in Mali, including a deadly ambush in 2024 that killed multiple Wagner fighters.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
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The sketch frequently ran throughout Ferrell's time as a cast member from 1995 to 2002 and often featured that week's celebrity host as one of the contestants.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
The United Kingdom landed in last place among the 25 contestants in the finals.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
Noun
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In recent years, even some advocates of free trade have come around to the idea that certain tariffs can be justified on strategic and national-security grounds, especially when working with an avowedly mercantilist country like China.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Those connections could be tested under a new leader, depending on who takes office, with more power shifting to the community advocates who sometimes clash with corporate interests, an east Charlotte leader told The Charlotte Observer.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
18 May 2026
Noun
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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
Cite this Entry
“Debaters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debaters. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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