debate
Americannoun
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debates
plural
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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
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a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers.
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Archaic. strife; contention.
verb (used without object)
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debates,
present (3rd person singular)
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debated,
past participle, past
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debating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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debates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
debated,
past participle, past
-
debating
present participle
-
to argue or discuss (a question, issue, or the like), as in a legislative or public assembly.
They debated the matter of free will.
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to dispute or disagree about.
The homeowners debated the value of a road on the island.
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to engage in formal argumentation or disputation with (another person, group, etc.).
Jones will debate Smith. Harvard will debate Princeton.
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to deliberate upon; consider.
He debated his decision in the matter.
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Archaic. to contend for or over.
noun
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a formal discussion, as in a legislative body, in which opposing arguments are put forward
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discussion or dispute
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the formal presentation and opposition of a specific motion, followed by a vote
verb
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to discuss (a motion), esp in a formal assembly
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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
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debaternoun
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nondebaternoun
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predebatenoun
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predebaternoun
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redebatenoun
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interdebateverb
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overdebateverb
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outdebateverb (used with object)
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nondebatingadjective
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postdebateadjective
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undebatedadjective
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undebatingadjective
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well-debatedadjective
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debatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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debatesimple
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debatessimple
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have debatedperfect
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has debatedperfect
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am debatingprogressive
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are debatingprogressive
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is debatingprogressive
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have been debatingperfect progressive
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has been debatingperfect progressive
Past
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debatedsimple
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had debatedperfect
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was debatingprogressive
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were debatingprogressive
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had been debatingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing debate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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Speech and Debate
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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.
See Examples For:
What children should be fed has been a subject of debate for centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Dame Uta ignited this debate by arguing that the autistic spectrum has come to its collapse because people included in it have such different needs.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Increasingly, this debate has spread to the U.K., where traditionally class, not race, has proved the main barrier to social mobility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The combined shock of the fire and back-to-back heatwaves has ignited a debate over whether Belgium is sufficiently prepared for the effects of climate change.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
He was the most centrally situated, having led the debate over both assumption and the residence question in the House.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
What started for Mei as a "going out stack" before nights out soon spread to exams, speeches and debates.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Andy Hunter, the founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, feels that debates over where the line is for individual authors obscure a much bigger issue: the deluge of slop books online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
One that does not commit so much time and energy to go-nowhere debates?
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Schwarz, who previously worked in the Google Research organization, recalled internal debates about the potential risks of such a strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The most important fact to keep in mind, however, is that debates about prison statistics typically ignore a key fact: most people who are under state supervision and control are not in prison.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Legal scholars have debated whether surrogates should pay legal damages if they fail to honor a contractual abortion provision, surrender payments remaining on the contract, or even pay back money they already received.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
For more than six decades, evolutionary biologists have debated whether an unusual genetic system shared by ants, bees and wasps helped drive one of nature's most sophisticated forms of social organization: eusociality.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Critics have debated in the build-up to Makhachev's bout with Machado Garry if his achievements have surpassed team-mate and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
For nearly three decades, a onetime Compton gang leader named Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been one of the most vocal theorists about one of the most debated celebrity killings ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
I debated whether or not to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
Therefore, it is “the default connectivity partner” for customers debating between copper and fiber components, in his view.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
I’m all for rallying around a book or author and debating their merits like it’s a sporting match.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Scientists studying ancient human remains have frequently used evidence of congenital infection when debating whether syphilis was present outside the Americas before the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Brian Bracher, 65, from Chichester in West Sussex, said he cannot believe the UK is still debating these changes.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
They can spend days and weeks debating the subject, trading information, arguing with one another on websites and mailing lists.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
