as in defendant
a person who takes part in a dispute
there were only three disputants in the argument, but they made enough noise for a dozen
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Recent Examples of disputant
The Jay Treaty asked the disputants merely to start a process leading to the appointment of arbitrators qualified to decide their disputes fairly and finally.
—
Tom Bell, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
The audience and actor are like disputants kept in different rooms, forbidden to see each other fully.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
However, if the harassment or dispute is simply two neighbors being un-neighborly toward each other, the HOA’s best response may be to offer a volunteer board member to meet with the disputants to try to host a discussion between them.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
My disputant’s particular problem wasn’t with Carpenter’s voice but with its anodyne middle-of-the-road context (both musically and culturally).
—Wesley Stace, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2018
The debate over medicine today is like that baby, but with disputants who won’t fall for Solomon’s trick.
—Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, National Review, 24 Oct. 2017
One way for other financial centres, such as Dubai and Singapore, to compete is by becoming hubs for arbitration—by agreeing to abide by the decision of a tribunal, disputants can bypass courts entirely.
—The Economist, 31 Aug. 2017
Tom Bell, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
The audience and actor are like disputants kept in different rooms, forbidden to see each other fully.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
However, if the harassment or dispute is simply two neighbors being un-neighborly toward each other, the HOA’s best response may be to offer a volunteer board member to meet with the disputants to try to host a discussion between them.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
My disputant’s particular problem wasn’t with Carpenter’s voice but with its anodyne middle-of-the-road context (both musically and culturally).
—Wesley Stace, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2018
The debate over medicine today is like that baby, but with disputants who won’t fall for Solomon’s trick.
—Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, National Review, 24 Oct. 2017
One way for other financial centres, such as Dubai and Singapore, to compete is by becoming hubs for arbitration—by agreeing to abide by the decision of a tribunal, disputants can bypass courts entirely.
—The Economist, 31 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disputant
Noun
-
An Alford plea allows defendants in criminal court cases to maintain their innocence in relation to an alleged crime, while simultaneously agreeing to plead guilty, according to the United States Department of Justice.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
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Montoya and two other defendants charged in the case are not part of the agreement and are scheduled to proceed toward a September trial.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, Gregory Craig, the attorney for the National Trust, wrote to Assistant Attorney General Breet Shumate, who had urged the plaintiffs to drop the case, citing the events at the Correspondents’ Dinner.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
High school debaters are much more polite and reasonable, even compared to presidential candidates, the group’s president, Walt Breitinger, observed.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Judging simply by the crowd’s response, the debaters arguing that CSOs remain relevant won handily.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Martha’s father, a law professor, had trained her to be a rational, step-by-step arguer.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
State-of-the-art drones, and the technology needed to intercept them, have become as important to national weapons arsenals as missiles, Patriot systems, fighter jets, and warships.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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The teens were also said to have been involved in online groups recruiting fighters for IS militants in Syria and shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, LGBTQ+ people and others, officials said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Six contestants will be forced to stay awake for 48 hours while enduring intense and nonstop challenges.—
Scott Huver,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Hernández’s introduction note among the MGI All Stars contestants highlighted her personal story of resilience and persistence.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These developments add to growing concerns among rights advocates over restrictions on independent media, civil society and any dissenting voices under Saied.—
Ghaya ben Mbarek,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Rebuilding Penn Station has been a white whale for transit advocates and civic leaders since the 1990s.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disputant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disputant. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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