dispute

American  

[dih-spyoot] / dɪˈspyut /

verb (used without object)

disputed, disputing

1. to engage in argument or debate.

   She liked nothing more than to dispute with her fellow law students.

2. to argue vehemently; wrangle or quarrel.

   Those two are always disputing about something or other.

   Synonyms:

   squabble, bicker

---

verb (used with object)

disputed, disputing

1. to argue or debate about; discuss.

   Whether excessive time spent on the internet can be called an addiction is hotly disputed.

2. to argue against; call into question.

   Historians dispute this claim, suggesting Raleigh could not possibly have discovered the potato in the places he visited.

3. to quarrel or fight about; contest.

   We stopped to watch a puffed-up crow disputing territory with a cat.

4. Archaic. to strive against; oppose.

   to dispute an advance of troops.

noun

1. a debate, controversy, or difference of opinion.

   Players were elated when the equal pay dispute was finally resolved.

2. a wrangling argument; quarrel.

   Some women at the end of the bar were having a noisy dispute about who should be the designated driver.

   Synonyms:

   bickering, squabble, wrangle, altercation, disputation

idioms

1. in dispute,

   1. being fought or argued over; debated or contested; unresolved.

      The authorship of the recently discovered text is in dispute.

      Both countries argue that the territories in dispute originally belonged to them.

   2. engaged in an argument or disagreement.

      The program enables parties in dispute to settle their differences over the internet without face-to-face mediation.

dispute British  

verb

1. to argue, debate, or quarrel about (something)

2. (tr; may take a clause as object) to doubt the validity, etc, of

3. (tr) to seek to win; contest for

4. (tr) to struggle against; resist

---

noun

1. an argument or quarrel

dispute More Idioms  

1. see in dispute.

---

Related Words

See argument.

Other Word Forms

• disputeless adjective
• disputer noun
• predispute noun
• redispute verb
• undisputing adjective

Etymology

Origin of dispute

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb disputen, dispuiten, desputen, either from Anglo-French, Old French desputer or directly from Latin disputāre “to argue a point,” equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + putāre “to reckon, consider”; noun derivative of the verb; putative

Example Sentences

The dispute erupted in February after Anthropic infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The move escalates a dispute that began in January, when a Panamanian court voided CK Hutchison’s contracts to run two terminals at either end of the Panama Canal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The dispute complicated a planned $23 billion sale of port assets by Hutchison, though analysts say the financial impact is limited.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The latest action by resident doctors - previously known as junior doctors - was called after talks to end the three-year long dispute broke down at the end of March.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The basic idea behind the possibles theory was simple, and didn’t provoke much dispute.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• bickering
• brawl
• conflict
• controversy
• debate
• disagreement
• discord
• discussion
• disturbance
• feud
• friction
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• row
• squabble
• strife
• wrangle