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
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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
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have disputedperfect
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has disputedperfect
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am disputingprogressive
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are disputingprogressive
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is disputingprogressive
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have been disputingperfect progressive
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has been disputingperfect progressive
Past
-
disputedsimple
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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 late 2021, Zhang was accused of threatening a Northridge family during a property dispute, according to an application for a restraining order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Art of Play said it has contacted Clarkson privately in hopes of clearing up the dispute.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Sir Chris said there had been concerns that the dispute could lead to the collapse of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The current dispute between China and Taiwan dates to a civil war between the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek, who retreated to the island in 1949 after being defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Their Open Trade faction, a minority in the Thirty-Three, opposed the continuation of the Sinoth Valley dispute, and in general represented a conservative, unaggressive, non-nationalistic policy.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Liquidia surges after reaching a $380.7 million settlement with United Therapeutics resolving patent disputes for its lung disease drug.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Thorough screening and a good lease can reduce problems and help resolve disputes, but nothing is foolproof.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Under that view, species that frequently engage in everyday fights or disputes might also be expected to show higher levels of lethal violence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Drumcree was one of Northern Ireland's most serious parading disputes in the mid-1990s.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
In between disputes, I continued to play the piano and she continued to listen, offering a stream of corrections.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The presiding judge has scheduled a separate hearing for next week to consider various disputed matters, including whether to recommend the brothers be assigned to the same or separate prisons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Clarkson disputed the explanation, saying she had pointed to a $15,000 price tag and been told the bird was available.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Ortiz said Byrd showed up late and unprepared for Ortiz Jara’s June 5 court date, which Byrd disputed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Webull disputed a congressional committee’s findings about its ties to China, saying the report contained inaccuracies and unsupported conclusions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Some were dispatched in a day, others were disputed for years.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
After Art of Play’s response, Clarkson doubled down on her claims on Instagram with photos disputing the shop’s statement and detailing what she recalled of their interaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
At Dungannon Crown Court on 3 September 2026, a defence barrister for Mariano said he was "not disputing the harm caused by this case".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The group has been disputing those allegations in court filings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
In a settlement agreement reached last year, Conservice agreed to provide any California tenant disputing their bill with copies of invoices and formulas used to determine their specific charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
On the whole, I by no means recognised the analysis, but thought it not worth disputing.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
