dispute

[ dih-spyoot ]

verb (used without object)

, dis·put·ed, dis·put·ing.

1. to engage in argument or debate:

   She liked nothing more than to dispute with her fellow law students.

2. to argue vehemently; wrangle or quarrel:

   Those two are always disputing about something or other.

   Synonyms: squabble, bicker

verb (used with object)

, dis·put·ed, dis·put·ing.

1. to argue or debate about; discuss:

   Whether excessive time spent on the internet can be called an addiction is hotly disputed.

2. to argue against; call into question:

   Historians dispute this claim, suggesting Raleigh could not possibly have discovered the potato in the places he visited.

3. to quarrel or fight about; contest:

   We stopped to watch a puffed-up crow disputing territory with a cat.

4. Archaic. to strive against; oppose:

   to dispute an advance of troops.

noun

1. a debate, controversy, or difference of opinion:

   Players were elated when the equal pay dispute was finally resolved.

2. 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

dispute

verb

1. to argue, debate, or quarrel about (something)
2. tr; may take a clause as object to doubt the validity, etc, of
3. tr to seek to win; contest for
4. tr to struggle against; resist

noun

1. an argument or quarrel

Derived Forms

• disˈputer, noun

Other Words From

• dis·pute·less adjective
• dis·put·er noun
• pre·dis·pute noun verb predisputed predisputing
• re·dis·pute verb redisputed redisputing
• un·dis·put·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispute¹

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; putative

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispute¹

C13: from Late Latin disputāre to contend verbally, from Latin: to discuss, from dis- ¹+ putāre to think

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in dispute,
   1. being fought or argued over; debated or contested; unresolved:

      The authorship of the recently discovered text is in dispute.

      Both countries argue that the territories in dispute originally belonged to them.

   2. engaged in an argument or disagreement:

      The program enables parties in dispute to settle their differences over the internet without face-to-face mediation.

More idioms and phrases containing dispute

see in dispute .

Synonym Study

See argument.

Example Sentences

Compounding the performance issues, however, are personnel disputes.

From Fortune

Problem is, the law is painfully vague on what happens in Congress if there’s a dispute between the chambers over seating electors.

From Ozy

In addition, Apple has also introduced a rule that seems tied to its recent dispute with Basecamp, developers of the Hey email app.

From TechCrunch

Accounts could be reported as suspicious for a wide variety of reasons—including, in theory, political disputes.

From MIT Technology Review

The move will be seen in Ethiopia as a definite show of support for its rivals in the dispute, in particular Egypt.

From Quartz

Despite the strong language, however, the neither the JPO nor Lockheed could dispute a single fact in either Daily Beast report.

From The Daily Beast

What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?

From The Daily Beast

He first rose to prominence as a lawyer in Queens, who settled a boiling racial dispute over public housing in Forest Hills.

From The Daily Beast

At least for now, because few things about this dispute are absolutely certain.

From The Daily Beast

After two years, the dispute ended with an arbitration ruling in favor of Savage.

From The Daily Beast

I was once present at a dispute between a layman and a clergyman, upon the subject of dreams.

From Project Gutenberg

No one can dispute that he drew the life that he saw moving around him.

From Project Gutenberg

The employers can then dispute it out with their working men as to how much wages shall be.

From Project Gutenberg

Thereupon a dispute arose, and the Savages, seizing their bows and arrows, wanted to take away the 151 corpse.

From Project Gutenberg

Of his book he himself said, “My conclusions may be disputed, but no one shall dispute the facts on which they are based.”

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• challenge
• contend
• contest
• contradict
• deny
• discuss
• disprove
• doubt
• quarrel
• rebut
• refute
• wrangle