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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debating Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space in 2012, although scientists are still debating about exactly where that boundary lies. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Schrader approaches some pretty tetchy, third-rail territory, doing some debating about whether one act of child abuse means that John is, inherently, a child abuser by nature. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026 As the sports talk shows and social media users continue debating whether Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ best days on an NFL field are behind him, one thing remains clear. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 The following month, the AKA arranged for McCurdy’s travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, where lawmakers were debating whether to lift a kratom ban enacted in 2016. — Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 1 Sep. 2026 Amid a growing concern over how corporations set their prices, California lawmakers are debating a bill that would ban surveillance pricing. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 No one in the courtroom is debating Patrick Clancy’s guilt or innocence. — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 Iran’s parliament is debating a bill to withdraw from the NPT, according to Iranian lawmakers. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 But the race has not turned into the nail-biter most anticipated, and Democrats outside Georgia are taking notice – at a time when the party is debating how to escape the political wilderness and win back a majority in Congress. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debating
  1. pondering
  2. discussing
  3. contemplating
  4. arguing
  5. considering
  6. studying
  7. questioning
  8. entertaining
Verb
  • Kronengold and Shaw are still pondering what will come of that if Adults gets to be renewed.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The summer before his junior year of high school, he was accepted into the SPARK program and was pondering his next direction.
    — Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pondering
Verb
  • Andrew Perloff and Paul Pabst assess the threat level for the teams in the AFC East, discussing how much Geno Smith elevates the Jets and how the Patriots' schedule affects their ceiling.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The first episode features Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Pablo Torre, discussing the continuing fallout from the Clippers’ salary cap circumvention scandal in the NBA.
    — J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of discussing
Verb
  • While all of this is happening, Paul also reconnects with Ben, a musician who viewers met during Season 4, and begins contemplating yet another relationship.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Pegula advanced to face Sorana Cirstea, the 36-year-old from Romania who is contemplating retirement after this season.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of contemplating
Verb
  • Milei has rejected calls for government intervention, arguing that unpaid debts are a private matter between borrowers and lenders rather than a symptom of wider economic distress.
    — Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Reddington said his first priority is arguing later this month that a retrial would violate Clancy's constitutional protection against double jeopardy because the mistrial was declared over the defense's objection.
    — Bryan Llenas , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of arguing
Verb
  • The panel's decision comes even as the Supreme Court is already considering the same case, which is part of a frenzied legal rush as states are beginning to send out mail ballots for this fall's midterm elections.
    — NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • It may be overlooked, considering how comfortable Suzuki appears when carrying out Unai Emery’s ploy of his backline baiting an opponent’s press, but at Parma, he was required to kick mostly long.
    — Aston Villa, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of considering
Verb
  • His team has recently been studying how hearing factors into this, and preliminary findings indicate that the sounds people make while swimming can make a shark more likely to approach from a distance.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Another successful student is Surovi Khatun, an undergrad student currently studying at Nawab Siraj-Ud-Dowla Government College of Natore, a neighboring district of Pabna.
    — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of studying
Verb
  • Missouri Supreme Court judges, while questioning a state attorney representing Hoskins, repeatedly pressed for Hoskins to send out guidance Thursday to use the 2022 version of the congressional districts.
    — DAVID A. LIEB, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Economists balked at the proposal, questioning whether any future Congress, regardless of party control, would pass a plan that would balloon the national debt and annual deficit.
    — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of questioning
Verb
  • In Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s La Bola Negra (Netflix), Cruz plays a bawdy cabaret singer entertaining troops during the Spanish Civil War.
    — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Johnson has generally not been interested in entertaining questions about last season.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of entertaining

Browse Nearby Words

debates
debating
debauch
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Cite this Entry

“Debating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debating. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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