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

For an industry that has spent decades debating how to portray disability authentically, that shift in who holds the microphone may turn out to be the more consequential story. — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

No debating whether to grab a hot dog now or wait until the seventh inning. — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026

Wisconsin used part of a multibillion-dollar surplus to enact income tax cuts and has continued debating additional relief. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Then began a surreal scene as the group all rode in carts back to the fifth hole and stood in the same spot, debating the potential penalty. — Brody Miller, New York Times, 17 July 2026

In recent months, members of Congress have been debating more limited bills that would only ban trading by lawmakers, and not the president. — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

But the data also raised a lot of questions that left experts and investors debating the drug’s future. — Elaine Chen, STAT, 16 July 2026

For two years, investors have been debating whether AI stocks are too expensive. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 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