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
-
(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:
Barrick Mining has settled a long-standing dispute with rival Newmont over their Nevada operations, securing a $1.95 billion cash payout and paving the way for Barrick to publicly list its North American gold assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Together, the evidence appears to resolve a long running dispute over whether original biological molecules can remain in extremely old fossils.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Over the years, attempts to resolve the territorial dispute have made little progress.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“To us, Bruce was never just a case number, a legal dispute, or a public controversy,” the group wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
I’m not in the mood to dispute his misuse of the word “offer.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Iran disputes that the U.S. controls the strait.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Efforts to identify the responsible party were hindered by ownership transitions and liability disputes, which delayed DTSC’s enforcement activities,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Reform advocates have said the problem is especially acute in proceedings that involve allegations of domestic violence and other types of family court disputes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Insurers “put more guardrails in place” for such claims, increasing the odds of disputes that result in no payment, said Michael Zaremski, an insurance analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
This enterprise required that certain social and technical preconditions be met: the existence of reliable methods of communication, a common body of expert knowledge and an acknowledged group of experts able to adjudicate disputes.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The Navy has acknowledged mental health cases but disputed reports that the ship is experiencing a broader crisis.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Some of his claims about his personal life, including that he once ran 30 marathons in 35 days and raised millions for charities, were also disputed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Pope Alexander II may therefore have supported William for reasons that went well beyond Harold's disputed claim to the English throne.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The army, which also suffered casualties, disputed it had ceded control - but said its soldiers had to "retreat temporarily".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Reshevsky nervously paced the stage, once again waiting for the absent Bobby to arrive, this time to play the disputed thirteenth game.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Hims & Hers is disputing the claims and said it would defend itself in court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
We argued that the government shouldn’t be allowed to punish American citizens while forbidding them from publicly disputing the accusations, aside from grave matters of national security.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
El Temach and Kibe both strongly deny their content is misogynistic, with Kibe - in an interview with the BBC - even disputing the existence of the concept.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
They can help with budgeting, bill-paying, tracking expenses, monitoring accounts, disputing an incorrect credit card charge, fighting an improper medical bill and helping with the winding down of an estate.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
It had been by denying what I saw with my eyes, disputing what I felt with my body, that I had managed to keep my identity intact.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
