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

Cynics will argue Williams and Alcaraz are only teaming up for the publicity - for themselves, the US Open and the global sportswear brand which they both promote.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

You could argue that an informant has to participate to some degree in order to stay inside these groups.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Critics of the couple argue that the Sussexes want a one-way street—demanding total privacy while simultaneously monetizing their private lives through commercial media deals, which earned them tens of millions of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Complicating matters further, the slump in sentiment comes just as many economists argue that China must shift towards a growth model powered more by domestic consumption than investment in real estate and infrastructure.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Brandon shoots Pua a look that says he resents being called clumsy, but he doesn’t argue with her story.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

The lawsuit also argues that many grad degrees would be unaffordable under the lower loan cap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Mounting yields alone won’t do it, Edwards argues, but they do “leave equity investors increasingly vulnerable to bad news such as a downturn in heady profits optimism.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

That rapid reversal argues against the idea that maternal age effects are primarily caused by the gradual buildup of cellular damage or DNA mutations associated with aging, as many researchers had previously suspected.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

The documentary argues that Nadal was addicted to competition, often at the expense of his own health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

“It was the mountains for the mountain air,” Gloria argues.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

I’ve argued that this is more akin to ghostwriting, since the student isn’t copying from an original source.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

In reporting this story, I heard from people who felt their therapist judged—or argued about—their political views, took a spouse’s side in couples therapy and encouraged them to cut off a family member.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

If Mateta had successfully argued his contract is void it would possibly set the wheels in motion towards the forward becoming a free agent before the expiry of his Palace deal next year.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

His solicitor general also argued it was too late to stop the project.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Like Washington, so his defenders might have argued, Burr refused to place his own political convictions at the service of any party.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Oldenburg was pushing back against restrictive zoning and suburbanization, arguing that fully residential neighborhoods weakened the societal fabric of the United States.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

By the early 1980s, researchers embraced the idea of an autism spectrum, arguing that autistic people could have average - or very high - intelligence.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to block the ballroom, arguing that the president lacks authority to erect new buildings on government property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

It infamously began removing them from all but its wide-body jets several years ago, arguing that travelers didn’t need them in this era of Wi-Fi and personal devices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

George didn’t bother arguing over who did the finding.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

Related Words

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