at issue
Idioms-
In question, under discussion; also, to be decided. For example, Who will pay for the refreshments was the point at issue . [Early 1800s]
-
In conflict, in disagreement, as in Physicians are still at issue over the appropriate use of hormone therapy . This usage, from legal terminology, was defined by Sir William Blackstone ( Commentaries on the Laws of England , 1768), who said that when a point is affirmed by one side and denied by the other, “they are then said to be at issue .”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What was at issue is whether the FCC is allowed to change the rules on its own.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Meta said it would label the video at issue within seven days.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
Those tariffs—including others threatened under IEEPA, representing about $130 billion in revenue—are at issue in the Supreme Court ruling investors have been awaiting.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
In a declaration filed in court on Monday, the head of HSI’s Minneapolis field office said the agency was “the lead investigatory entity reviewing the use-of-force encounter at issue in this case.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
There’s the narration, where you set out the points at issue, and the proof, where you make the arguments for your case.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
