debate

[dih-beyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints: a debate in the Senate on farm price supports.

a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers.

deliberation; consideration.

Archaic. strife; contention.

verb (used without object), de·bat·ed, de·bat·ing.

to engage in argument or discussion, as in a legislative or public assembly: When we left, the men were still debating.

to participate in a formal debate.

to deliberate; consider: I debated with myself whether to tell them the truth or not.

Obsolete. to fight; quarrel.

verb (used with object), de·bat·ed, de·bat·ing.

to argue or discuss (a question, issue, or the like), as in a legislative or public assembly: They debated the matter of free will.

to dispute or disagree about: The homeowners debated the value of a road on the island.

to engage in formal argumentation or disputation with (another person, group, etc.): Jones will debate Smith. Harvard will debate Princeton.

to deliberate upon; consider: He debated his decision in the matter.

Archaic. to contend for or over.

Origin of debate

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English debaten < Old French debatre, equivalent to de- de- + batre to beat < Latin battere, earlier battuere; (noun) Middle English debat < Old French, derivative of debatre

Related formsde·bat·er, nounde·bat·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·de·bate, verb, in·ter·de·bat·ed, in·ter·de·bat·ing.non·de·bat·er, nounnon·de·bat·ing, adjectiveout·de·bate, verb (used with object), out·de·bat·ed, out·de·bat·ing.o·ver·de·bate, verb, o·ver·de·bat·ed, o·ver·de·bat·ing.post·de·bate, adjectivepre·de·bate, nounpre·de·bat·er, nounre·de·bate, noun, verb, re·de·bat·ed, re·de·bat·ing.un·de·bat·ed, adjectiveun·de·bat·ing, adjectivewell-de·bat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for debate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. argument, controversy, disputation, contention. 5. dispute, contend.

Synonym study

5. See argue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for debate

deliberation, contest, argument, controversy, match, dispute, consider, bicker, deliberate, question, wrangle, oppose, answer, argumentation, dialectic, contention, agitation, polemic, tiff, hassle

Examples from the Web for debate

Contemporary Examples of debate

The debate over who really pulled off the Sony hack, then, could continue indefinitely.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?
Shane Harris
January 8, 2015
And it must make sure that the platform of debate where we can freely exchange ideas is safe and sound.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
January 8, 2015
They already know the answer, but they know by feigning ignorance they can create all this debate about it.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire
William O’Connor
January 6, 2015
They are already infinitely more qualified to have that debate than we are.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism
Arthur Chu
January 3, 2015
During a debate, the candidates were asked about the islands.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz
Jeff Greenfield
December 31, 2014

Historical Examples of debate

The supremacy of the nation and its laws should be no longer a subject of debate.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
But let it—if it must be Lovelace or Solmes, the choice cannot admit of debate.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
He was quite aware of his own ascendency in counsel and his supremacy in debate.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
The debate began April 12th, and continued for eight nights.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
I see that they are already forming to continue this debate with us.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for debate

debate

noun

a formal discussion, as in a legislative body, in which opposing arguments are put forward

discussion or dispute

the formal presentation and opposition of a specific motion, followed by a vote

verb

to discuss (a motion), esp in a formal assembly

to deliberate upon (something)he debated with himself whether to go

Derived Formsdebater, noun

Word Origin for debate

C13: from Old French debatre to discuss, argue, from Latin battuere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for debate

late 14c., "to quarrel, dispute," also "discuss, deliberate upon the pros and cons of," from Old French debatre (13c., Modern French débattre), originally "to fight," from de- "down, completely" (see de-) + batre "to beat" (see battery). Related: Debated; debating.

early 14c., "a quarrel, dispute, disagreement," from Old French debat; see debate (v.). Sense of "a formal dispute, a debating contest" is perhaps from early 15c.