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

The past month showed an industry racing to build for that projection while still debating its most basic assumptions. — Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Unlike basketball or baseball, pro football is far from the point where regular-season contests become meaningless, but that hasn’t stopped its fans from debating whether the NFL is sapping some of the magic that comes from football’s scarcity. — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Somewhere in America right now, a family is debating where to spend their Saturday. — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 8 July 2026

However, events in season 4 threatened the balance of the team, as Leaphorn was debating whether to retire, while Chee and Manuelito were also considering different career paths. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

According to Bloomberg, which was first to report the news, Meta is debating whether to offer access to AI models hosted on its infrastructure or to sell access to raw computing power. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 July 2026

This spring, Russia’s legislature began debating a bill that would fund fertility treatment for veterans and their wives. — Diana Dukhanova, The Conversation, 6 July 2026

The other was Michael Longfellow’s sketch about a guy dying at the top of a waterslide and debating whether he should be pushed down the slide or carried down the stairs, which was the only thing Bargatze kept talking about all week. — Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 4 July 2026

For much of the country, the 250th anniversary of independence on Saturday is a time for celebrating and debating the country’s birth. — Hillel Italie, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026