dispute
Americanverb (used without object)
-
disputes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disputed,
past participle, past
-
disputing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
disputes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disputed,
past participle, past
-
disputing
present participle
-
to argue or debate about; discuss.
Whether excessive time spent on the internet can be called an addiction is hotly disputed.
-
to argue against; call into question.
Historians dispute this claim, suggesting Raleigh could not possibly have discovered the potato in the places he visited.
-
to quarrel or fight about; contest.
We stopped to watch a puffed-up crow disputing territory with a cat.
-
Archaic. to strive against; oppose.
to dispute an advance of troops.
noun
-
disputes
plural
-
a debate, controversy, or difference of opinion.
Players were elated when the equal pay dispute was finally resolved.
-
a wrangling argument; quarrel.
Some women at the end of the bar were having a noisy dispute about who should be the designated driver.
- Synonyms:
- bickering, squabble, wrangle, altercation, disputation
idioms
verb
-
to argue, debate, or quarrel about (something)
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to doubt the validity, etc, of
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(tr) to seek to win; contest for
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(tr) to struggle against; resist
noun
Synonym Usage
See argument.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disputesimple
-
disputessimple
-
have disputedperfect
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has disputedperfect
-
am disputingprogressive
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are disputingprogressive
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is disputingprogressive
-
have been disputingperfect progressive
-
has been disputingperfect progressive
Past
-
disputedsimple
-
had disputedperfect
-
was disputingprogressive
-
were disputingprogressive
-
had been disputingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dispute
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb disputen, dispuiten, desputen, either from Anglo-French, Old French desputer or directly from Latin disputāre “to argue a point,” equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + putāre “to reckon, consider”; noun derivative of the verb; see putative
Explanation
If kids can't settle their own argument, they may need someone to mediate their dispute, or conflict. You can often tell this is the case if you hear the loud cry, "Mom!" The noun dispute means any conflict or disagreement. The countries were in the middle of a border dispute; both sides claimed the toxic waste dump belonged to the other. As a verb, dispute can mean to quarrel or argue, but it can also mean to take exception to something. If your boasting friend crows because you lost the trivia game to her by 150 points, you may want to dispute the facts. It was only 145 points.
Vocabulary lists containing dispute
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 3
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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:
In an interview over the weekend, Brodeur said Miss USA got into a dispute with production company Broadcast Management Group, and their agreement fell through earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Rights groups and election observer missions have said the post-election dispute has tarnished Zambia's democratic reputation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
While obvious differences exist between a shooting war in Iran and a trade dispute with Canada, the lessons are not dissimilar.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In December, L.A.’s housing department recommended that city officials adopt rules making it clear that tenants have a right to review master utility bills and create a process for tenants to dispute charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Mother was reluctant to be pulled into the dispute but didn’t see a way out, so he showed his badge to Olivia.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
The government disputes how much the policy is to blame.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Tax Court, which weighs in on disputes between taxpayers and the IRS, routinely issues decisions about when businesses are allowed to deduct expenses that also happen to seem like a lot of fun.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
No one disputes that the war in Iran has disrupted normal supply chains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“As I have said before, generally for all cases, I prefer to resolve disputes in the boardroom, not the courtroom,” Bonta said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Ketchup-wigged french fries would march across our plates, engaging in brief affairs or heated disputes over carrot coins while burly chicken legs guarded the perimeter, ready to jump in should things get out of hand.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
The Zambian opposition leader who was runner-up in this month's disputed presidential election surrendered to police on Thursday after two weeks in hiding following a summons over an alleged national security threat, state media reported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Nonetheless, the exercise adds to tensions between Moscow and Tokyo that were heightened when Putin visited the disputed islands for the first time earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lord Braid said this case was "less straightforward" as her parents were "actively opposed" to the treatment and "disputed the medical science".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
David Wachsman, a spokesperson for World Liberty Financial, disputed the criticism, saying the preliminary approval is “great news for consumer and investor protection advocates and for the American financial services industry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Within the year he ended the old feud, giving up half the disputed lands to the Domain, of Stok.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The CMS system had added the outstanding amount, and some arrears he had been disputing, to his continuing payments to come up with the new figure.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Becerra has defended his record at HHS, arguing that the Trump administration had left the agency ill-equipped to care for so many children and disputing the number of unaccompanied minors who were “lost.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Hims & Hers is disputing the claims and said it would defend itself in court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
This makes July 10, 2026, the red-letter day because taxpayers usually have three years after filing a return to make a claim disputing a penalty, according to Collins.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
“Well,” said Emma, “there is no disputing about taste.—At least you admire her except her complexion.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
