dispute

American  

[dih-spyoot] / dɪˈspyut /

verb (used without object)

disputes, present (3rd person singular) disputed, past participle, past disputing present participle

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)

disputes, present (3rd person singular) disputed, past participle, past disputing present participle

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.

---

Synonym Usage

See argument.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has disputed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have disputed
  perfect
• are disputing
  progressive
• have been disputing
  perfect progressive
• has been disputing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is disputing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• disputing
  participle
• am disputing
  progressive 1st person singular
• disputes
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had disputed
  perfect
• were disputing
  progressive plural
• had been disputing
  perfect progressive
• was disputing
  progressive singular
• disputed
  simple
• disputed
  participle

Future

• will dispute
  simple
• will have disputed
  perfect
• will be disputing
  progressive
• will have been disputing
  perfect progressive

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; see putative

Explanation

If kids can't settle their own argument, they may need someone to mediate their dispute, or conflict. You can often tell this is the case if you hear the loud cry, "Mom!" The noun dispute means any conflict or disagreement. The countries were in the middle of a border dispute; both sides claimed the toxic waste dump belonged to the other. As a verb, dispute can mean to quarrel or argue, but it can also mean to take exception to something. If your boasting friend crows because you lost the trivia game to her by 150 points, you may want to dispute the facts. It was only 145 points.

Example Sentences

Germany withdrew from the Future Combat Air System stealth-fighter project due to an unresolved leadership dispute between Airbus and Dassault.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

But after 2001’s “Scary Movie 2,” the Wayans got in a pay dispute with former Miramax executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

The dispute erupted just days before the June 11 start of the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

Lululemon has struggled over recent years with price-conscious shoppers, competition from brands like Alo and Vuori, a board dispute with its founder and its own aesthetic choices.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

They also rescued it from Pascal and religious dispute.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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