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

Kedia wasn’t surprised by the unanimous interest rate decision because the FOMC had been debating higher interest rates for months. — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026

While the two candidates were technically debating each other, the most prominent name onstage wasn’t there and isn’t on the ballot. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026

When teams spend time debating definitions, reconciling numbers or validating information, decision-making slows down. — Sesh Tirumala, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

More colleges schools are reinstating testing requirements, and UC is debating whether to resume the tests. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

And politicians began debating whether legislation is needed to rein in an industry that is racing against China and expected to drive enormous profits and technological advancements. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026

But there’s no debating that the musician’s 12th album was her most polarizing yet (yes, even more than the 2017 LP, Reputation). — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Murray enlists Ted in a series of mysterious experiments that involve the young man sitting in a room and debating another student. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

The conservative activist had been debating students before a crowd of thousands in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by tall buildings and elevated walkways on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026