Synonyms of debating

debating

verb

present participle of debate

1

as in pondering

to give serious and careful thought to

still debating what to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pondering
• contemplating
• considering
• studying
• questioning
• entertaining
• weighing
• exploring
• reviewing
• eyeing
• analyzing
• deliberating
• ruminating
• cogitating
• thinking (about or over)
• looking at
• meditating
• revolving
• mulling (over)
• wrestling (with)
• chewing on
• turning
• poring (over)
• digesting
• chewing over
• perpending
• reasoning
• kicking around
• reminiscing
• reflecting (on or upon)
• beating one's brains out (about)
• believing
• concluding
• opining
• cudgeling one's brains (about)
• musing (upon)
• speculating (about)
• dwelling (on or upon)
• second-guessing
• absorbing
• fixating (on or upon)
• conceiving
• obsessing (about or over)
• brooding (about or over)
• fretting (about or over)
• assimilating
• drinking (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• disregarding
• overlooking
• dismissing
• rejecting
• slighting
• pooh-poohing

2

as in discussing

to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion

we debated the advantages versus the disadvantages of the proposed waterfront development

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discussing
• arguing
• reviewing
• disputing
• canvassing
• agitating
• talking over
• bandying
• considering
• raising
• batting (around or back and forth)
• mooting
• speaking (about)
• talking (about)
• hashing (over or out)
• introducing
• weighing
• deliberating
• propounding
• stirring up
• broaching
• forging
• wrestling (with)
• talking out
• hammering out
• thrashing (out)
• chewing over

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of debating

But now, the internet is debating the album, with some people accusing Blanco of cultural appropriation. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026

Two states, Massachusetts and Idaho, will vote on ballot initiatives regarding legalization, and in several others, including Kansas and Iowa, gubernatorial candidates are debating cannabis matters. — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

America is debating budgets, taxes, deficits and spending priorities. — Drema Hymon, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

More than a dozen other states are now debating doing the same. — David Wade, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

But for a little over 200 minutes, Birthright gives audiences a break from debating these issues in the group chat or the comment section. — Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026

For now, however, police decided to stop using the Flock system as lawmakers, courts and law enforcement agencies continued debating the privacy and legal issues surrounding increasingly powerful surveillance and artificial intelligence technology. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Birth of the Brexit Party The party that became Reform UK emerged in early 2019 as British legislators were debating the details of how and when the country would exit the European Union. — Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

Divinity schools are emerging as critical laboratories for debating who benefits from — and who is harmed by — intelligent technologies. — Yonat Shimron, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026