1
as in controversy
variance of opinion on a matter
a dispute over the proper pronunciation of "nuclear"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quarrel
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
after much dispute, the school committee decided that all backpacks would have to be stored in lockers during class hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to question
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
a whole slew of relatives eager to dispute his claim to being the sole heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
hometown fans disputing with visiting fans over which had the better team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to debate
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
in an extended session the city council disputed the need for a new high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dispute
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Excluded from this narrative is DJ Spinderella, who broke with the band in 2019 and is not a part of this dispute.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Protesters were rallying against an event being held in the synagogue, where New Yorkers were being offered real estate opportunities in Jerusalem, which some argue include disputed territory in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Noun
Friday’s courtroom dispute also came as recent comments in Kansas and Clay County have suggested that the Royals’ options could be narrowing.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Excluded from this narrative is DJ Spinderella, who broke with the band in 2019 and is not a part of this dispute.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
Government officials have characterized the use-of-force as self-defense while local officials and eye witnesses have disputed that account as the case remains under investigation.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Protesters were rallying against an event being held in the synagogue, where New Yorkers were being offered real estate opportunities in Jerusalem, which some argue include disputed territory in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispute
Noun
-
Parking problems are causing controversy in Elk Grove.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Over the past year, CBS has experienced several controversies and new ownership that led to new leadership, which have some critics accusing the network of losing its credibility.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But by agreeing to disagree on these ideological quarrels, negotiators could manage to find ways to prevent them from triggering unnecessary crises.—
Mohammad Javad Zarif,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Dec. 2025
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Police said the quarrel escalated when a 39-year-old man pulled out a gun and shot the victim twice.—
Natalie McMillan,
CBS News,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Fox News Digital attempted to question Block about McCuskey's statement after oral arguments for the case in the Supreme Court Tuesday, but Block walked away from the first wave of questioning to take a picture with his team and client.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers will kick off their budget writing process by questioning both the legislative analyst and the governor’s finance staff, Gabriel said.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Someone on the bench started bickering with Cameroon’s first goalscorer, Junior Tchamadeu, during a break in play.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Federal Reserve chair and the president stood stiffly, side by side, in matching hard hats, bickering on a building site, for all the world to see.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Opposite a serene Rooney Mara and a raging Claire Foy, Buckley is a lone dissenting voice in Sarah Polley’s heart-wrenching portrait of a group of women and girls in an isolated Mennonite colony who are debating how to respond to a series of brutal attacks from the men in their community.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
12 Jan. 2026
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The band was the first to sanction fan taping at their concerts, spawning an abundance of homespun recordings that have been collected, traded and debated for decades.—
Erin Osmon,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
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Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
Noun
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The Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately provide details of his arrest, but NBC4 reported that Sutherland allegedly got into an altercation with a ride-hailing driver, and was booked on suspicion of criminal threats.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Kiefer Sutherland was arrested in Los Angeles on Monday after an alleged altercation with a ride-share driver.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nor did his habit of challenging teachers during lectures win him many friends among the academic staff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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The common thread may be America’s determination to challenge China and its dominance of critical minerals.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispute. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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