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

Some argue that a mosque much larger than the nearby Japanese Shinto shrine is disrespectful.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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

He didn’t argue as such, but darted me one of his darkest looks.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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

The workers' union also argues that the latter is more harmful to health in the long-term.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

He argues that, as natural selection has shaped our brains and influenced our actions, the way we guide and govern behavior should be approached with our evolutionary roots in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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

Besides, he argues, separating from Sien would be better not only for Vincent’s work but also for Sien.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit that operates the nest livestream, has long argued that the roughly 63-acre parcel is a critical hunting ground for the local eagles.

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

Plans to simplify the classic logo and modernise store interiors sparked fierce resistance from loyal diners who argued the changes stripped away the brand's nostalgic Southern charm.

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

“JB and E already know that we know Angela,” he argued with Chip and Katherine.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Faruqi, the deputy leader of the Greens party, took Hanson to court after the tweet was posted, arguing it breached the racial discrimination act.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“I very clearly suspect you of having punished transparency,” he wrote in the letter, arguing that rivals who had refused to engage with the newspaper had received more favorable treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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

Along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, it challenged Operation Metro Surge by arguing that the federal government had disrupted schools, businesses, emergency services, municipal resources, streets, and the trust on which local governance depends.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

And the neighbor lady presided over the hubbub by being able to yell louder than any arguing or crying child.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

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