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]
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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.
The rule at issue, the agency had previously concluded, would “provide critical health protections to hundreds of thousands of people living near chemical plants.”
From Salon • May 10, 2026
The State Department says, however, many of the countries at issue are too unsafe for Americans to visit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
During the action, the exits at issue dropped from an average of 200 a month to 100 a month.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
But there is a trade-off between the amount of money at issue here and the time and grief trying to get reimbursed could cause you.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
For you must understand, there was an important principle at issue.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
