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

This choice has left fans debating who or what is to blame if the movie is bad, or is not getting a big, splashy release. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026

Every hour spent debating where a model was built is an hour not spent building the controls that can stop this kind of incident from happening, regardless of its origin. — Shlomo Kramer, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Key background Scientists have for months been debating whether to limit the potential of biological AI software. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

So many of the headlines are about legislation, our rights, conflict or people debating whether we should even be allowed to exist as ourselves. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

The teens were debating what to do if a student in crisis tries to use a school chatbot for emotional support. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026

The residents of Parsons, Kansas, may soon have atomic power humming in their backyard, as the small town is debating the development of a nuclear reactor. — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 4 Aug. 2026

While Congress continues debating whether to make daylight saving time permanent or end seasonal clock changes altogether, no change has become law. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 31 July 2026

The market has spent the past year debating whether generative AI would erode Adobe's creative software moat. — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 29 July 2026