argue

American  

[ahr-gyoo] / ˈɑr gju /

verb (used without object)

argues, present (3rd person singular) argued, past participle, past arguing present participle

1. to present reasons for or against a thing.

   He argued in favor of capital punishment.

2. to contend in oral disagreement; dispute.

   The senator argued with the president about the new tax bill.

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verb (used with object)

argues, present (3rd person singular) argued, past participle, past arguing present participle

1. to state the reasons for or against.

   The lawyers argued the case.

2. to maintain in reasoning.

   to argue that the news report must be wrong.

3. to persuade, drive, etc., by reasoning.

   to argue someone out of a plan.

4. to show; prove; imply; indicate.

   His clothes argue poverty.

argue British  

/ ˈɑːɡjuː /

verb

1. (intr) to quarrel; wrangle

   they were always arguing until I arrived

2. (intr; often foll by for or against) to present supporting or opposing reasons or cases in a dispute; reason

3. (tr; may take a clause as object) to try to prove by presenting reasons; maintain

4. (tr; often passive) to debate or discuss

   the case was fully argued before agreement was reached

5. (tr) to persuade

   he argued me into going

6. (tr) to give evidence of; suggest

   her looks argue despair

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Usage

What are other ways to say argue? To argue is to present reasons for or against a thing or to contend in oral disagreement. How does argue compare to discuss and debate? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• arguer
  noun
• counterargue
  verb
• overargue
  verb
• reargue
  verb
• well-argued
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• arguing
  present
• argued
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• argue
  simple
• argues
  simple
• have argued
  perfect
• has argued
  perfect
• am arguing
  progressive
• are arguing
  progressive
• is arguing
  progressive
• have been arguing
  perfect progressive
• has been arguing
  perfect progressive

Past

• argued
  simple
• had argued
  perfect
• was arguing
  progressive
• were arguing
  progressive
• had been arguing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will argue
  simple
• will have argued
  perfect
• will be arguing
  progressive
• will have been arguing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of argue

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French arguer, from Latin argūtāre, argūtārī “to babble, chatter,” frequentative of arguere “to prove, assert, accuse” (in Medieval Latin: “to argue, reason”)

Explanation

When people argue, they disagree with each other, sometimes loudly. You don’t always have to yell when you argue, though, sometimes you’re just trying to prove a point. If your mom tells you to be home for dinner, don’t argue! When you think of the word argue, you might think of angry people screaming at one another, but that’s only one meaning of this verb. The other is "to present reasons and evidence about a stance or opinion." For example, if you give a speech in support of world peace, you might argue that nations accomplish more when they work together, giving examples to support this idea. When you present reasons why you believe in something, you argue for it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

argue argues argued arguing

The intention that day, plaintiffs argue, “always was to arrest ‘collaterals.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Advocates of private-school voucher programs argue against restrictions on how the schools operate and push back against the type of oversight enforced on public schools.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Movements argue about the Constitution, organize around it, and sometimes make claims powerful enough that courts later recognize them as law.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The researchers argue that its evolutionary remains survive today as the pineal gland, a small organ located deep within the vertebrate brain.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He wouldn’t argue with Mr. Lew, but I could tell he was steaming.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Mr. O’Connell argues that, besides moving in the direction of home, the chief activity of the Greek army was “the acquisition of humans.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

But for Hoerz -- who argues that "the heuriger in its 'traditional' form died out by the mid-1990s at the latest" -- change has come at the price of "diversity".

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Alicia Denby, a sociologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, argues the show's tweak is reflective of a broader societal change where "women may now be more likely to approach someone first".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Slate music critic Carl Wilson argues that the singer’s new album is a middle finger to the expectations of being an “It Girl.”

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

“But he must read the news and know this already,” Hamid Uncle argues.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

Plaintiffs in the case, who filed their lawsuit in June 2025, argued that the discovery “flatly disproves” representations the government made in pursuit of the stay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Warsh, a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, has argued for more than a decade that the Fed’s forecasts breed conformity and its data are stale by the time policymakers see them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Infantino, however, argued that such decisions are not out of the ordinary, claiming similar rulings are "routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Hoisington Investment Management’s fourth-quarter 2025 letter to shareholders argued disinflation would carry through 2026 and that lower long-term yields looked increasingly likely.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Maybe that’s just some sort of code,” Chip argued.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Now, aged 18 and 19, they are calling for Stormont to create a dedicated Minister for Women's Safety and Health, arguing Northern Ireland needs someone whose sole focus is improving women's safety, healthcare and education.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Texts displayed in court late last week and early Monday morning showed they continued to talk in the months after, at times arguing over the status of their friendship and Burke’s relationships with other women.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Once again, we are seeing what it looks like when it is not just lawyers somewhere off arguing but is very much in collaboration with the communities directly affected.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Neither is arguing that households should absorb the buildout’s costs.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

We still met up back there to start the day, arguing.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• appeal
• assert
• claim
• contend
• defend
• demonstrate
• explain
• indicate
• maintain
• plead
• present
• suggest
• testify