debate

American  

[dih-bayt] / dɪˈbeɪt /

noun

• debates
  plural

1. a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints.

   a debate in the Senate on farm price supports.

   Synonyms:

   contention, disputation, controversy, argument

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

3. deliberation; consideration.

4. Archaic. strife; contention.

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verb (used without object)

• debates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• debated,
  past participle,  past
• debating
  present participle

1. to engage in argument or discussion, as in a legislative or public assembly.

   When we left, the men were still debating.

   Synonyms:

   contend, dispute

2. to participate in a formal debate.

3. to deliberate; consider.

   I debated with myself whether to tell them the truth or not.

4. Obsolete. to fight; quarrel.

verb (used with object)

• debates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• debated,
  past participle,  past
• debating
  present participle

1. to argue or discuss (a question, issue, or the like), as in a legislative or public assembly.

   They debated the matter of free will.

2. to dispute or disagree about.

   The homeowners debated the value of a road on the island.

3. to engage in formal argumentation or disputation with (another person, group, etc.).

   Jones will debate Smith. Harvard will debate Princeton.

4. to deliberate upon; consider.

   He debated his decision in the matter.

5. Archaic. to contend for or over.

debate British  

/ dɪˈbeɪt /

noun

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

2. discussion or dispute

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

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verb

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

2. to deliberate upon (something)

   he debated with himself whether to go

Usage

What does debate mean? A debate is a public discussion of a common topic or question between people on both sides of an issue, as in Voters were disappointed that there were no debates between the candidates. A debate is also a formal contest in which the debaters speak on opposite sides of a topic. Every debate is an argument but not every argument is a debate. While debates are competitive, both sides are attempting to persuade the other and the audience, not insult, hurt, or reprimand the other. To debate means to engage in such discussions, as in The senate spent all night debating these weighty issues. To debate also means to deliberate or weigh the pros and cons of a decision one has to make. Example: I debated going on the trip, but I decided it was best for my mental health to stay home.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• debater
  noun
• nondebater
  noun
• predebate
  noun
• predebater
  noun
• redebate
  noun
• interdebate
  verb
• overdebate
  verb
• outdebate
  verb (used with object)
• nondebating
  adjective
• postdebate
  adjective
• undebated
  adjective
• undebating
  adjective
• well-debated
  adjective
• debatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• debates
  plural

Participles

• debating
  present
• debated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• debate
  simple
• debates
  simple
• have debated
  perfect
• has debated
  perfect
• am debating
  progressive
• are debating
  progressive
• is debating
  progressive
• have been debating
  perfect progressive
• has been debating
  perfect progressive

Past

• debated
  simple
• had debated
  perfect
• was debating
  progressive
• were debating
  progressive
• had been debating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will debate
  simple
• will have debated
  perfect
• will be debating
  progressive
• will have been debating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of debate

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English debaten, from Old French debatre, from de- de- + batre “to beat” (from Latin battere, earlier battuere ); noun derivative of the verb

Explanation

Another word for formally discuss is debate. Cheese lovers often debate the merits of gorgonzola, triple creme brie, and gouda. Of course, they need to accompany their arguments with a taste test! A debate is a kind of respectful, well reasoned argument over opposing points of view, although tensions can run high and voices can be raised. In fact, the verb evolved from the Old French debatre, meaning “to fight.” Most formal debates, during a political campaign for example, keep the battles to a minimum. But if you find yourself in the midst of a debate between a Red Sox fan and a Yankees fan, things could get ugly!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

debate debates debated debating

Pike's stunning survival renewed focus on the ethical debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

That’s because you’ve got debate fever, suffering reader.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026

"I understand why there has been debate but I am not going to sit here and get into selections."

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The safety debate has obviously broken through in a big way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Eventually, after making one of these trips, he declared matter-of-factly, as if there was no room for debate, “Reshevsky’s busted.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

We didn’t notice any blow-ups of such magnitude in the debates we watched this week.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026

He and Hilton faced off last week in an hourlong debate on CNN but no other debates have been announced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Rising living costs, low wages, strains on the healthcare system and long-term population decline all feature prominently in campaign debates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

That anxiety quickly turns into anger in online debates, be it about university entrance exams or bride price or food safety scandals.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Mostly they were in debates where he scored a telling point over his enemy or whatever you call them.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

The authors examine how different monocyte populations change over time and assess the debated M1/M2 macrophage polarization model.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

Additionally, readers should note that historical net-worth estimates are often debated due to differences in record-keeping and varying valuation methods.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Several labelling schemes, including from Britain, France and Germany, were being showcased at the world's biggest book industry fair in Frankfurt this week, where the challenges posed by AI were hotly debated.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Whether the man or the beast is more isolated and miserable may be debated, but the gorilla, we assume, hasn’t had to face the harsh truth of his insignificance in the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

For a time, she debated whether to remain behind at Montclair and have the baby at home there, or whether to go to Nantucket with us and have the baby in a hospital.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

And Becerra, who’s made himself exceedingly scarce, is stepping up and debating, as he should.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"Brazil spent years debating how to regulate sports betting," the club said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

As it was, you may have spent too much goodwill debating other money-related issues.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

As well as discussing UK-Canada ties, who knows - might the two men end up debating ways to best woo the EU, too?

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Nina could see he was debating something with himself.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• answer
• bicker
• consider
• contest
• deliberate
• oppose
• question
• wrangle