argue

American  

[ahr-gyoo] / ˈɑr gyu /

verb (used without object)

argued, arguing

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)

argued, arguing

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

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

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”)

Example Sentences

He tends to run away from situations he finds overwhelming and sometimes communicates through shouting and arguing.

From BBC

But the Pungs argue this isn’t just compensation because their home was worth significantly more than what the government sold it for.

From The Wall Street Journal

"But if he is a traitor, he doesn't deserve it," Walesa added, arguing that for the moment, "it's too early to judge".

From Barron's

But the recent selloff has been “relatively indiscriminate,” and that ignores the supply-and-demand dynamics unfolding in the industry, Essex argued.

From Barron's

But he also argued current cash flow trends should allow it to comfortably do all three.

From Barron's

Related Words

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