Dictionary.com
definitions

dispute

[dih-spyoot]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dispute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), dis·put·ed, dis·put·ing.

to engage in argument or debate.
to argue vehemently; wrangle or quarrel.

verb (used with object), dis·put·ed, dis·put·ing.

noun

a debate, controversy, or difference of opinion.
a wrangling argument; quarrel.

RELATED CONTENT

fidget spinner
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
Juridical Process vs. Judicial Process
Let’s bring some order to these two similar terms. The juridical process relates to the administration of the law. The judicial process is the series of steps a legal dispute goes through in the court system. It deals with procedural issues, and it determines the roles of the judge and the jury in a courtroom. The judicial process also deals with the role and jurisdiction …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

contend, deny, contest, contradict, challenge, refute, discuss, doubt, disprove, wrangle, rebut, quarrel, impugn, squabble, clash, bicker, confute, brawl, question, agitate

Origin of dispute

1275–1325; Middle English (< Anglo-French, Old French desputer) < Latin disputāre to argue a point, equivalent to dis- dis-1 + putāre to reckon, consider; see putative
Related formsdis·pute·less, adjectivedis·put·er, nounpre·dis·pute, noun, verb, pre·dis·put·ed, pre·dis·put·ing.re·dis·pute, verb, re·dis·put·ed, re·dis·put·ing.un·dis·put·ed, adjectiveun·dis·put·ed·ly, adverbun·dis·put·ing, adjectivewell-dis·put·ed, adjective
Can be confuseddispute refute

Synonyms for dispute

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dispute ON THESAURUS.COM
2. bicker, squabble. 8. disputation, altercation, wrangle, bickering, squabble.

Synonym study

8. See argument.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for disputed

Contemporary Examples of disputed

Historical Examples of disputed

  • Their precise age and antiquity have been disputed with some acrimony.

    The Dramatic Values in Plautus

    Wilton Wallace Blancke

  • "I do not suppose that one case in ten is tracked home," disputed Roland.

    The Channings

    Mrs. Henry Wood

  • These are my tenets, my lovely friend; and which I think cannot well be disputed.

  • The "Zphir" and the "Baleine" went in chase; but as there was enough for all, they disputed no longer.

  • In the debatable class there ought to be a definition of all disputed matters.

British Dictionary definitions for disputed

dispute

verb (dɪˈspjuːt)

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

noun (dɪˈspjuːt, ˈdɪspjuːt)

an argument or quarrel
Derived Formsdisputer, noun

Word Origin for dispute

C13: from Late Latin disputāre to contend verbally, from Latin: to discuss, from dis- 1 + putāre to think
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for disputed

dispute

v.

c.1300, from Old French desputer (12c.) "dispute, fight over, contend for, discuss," from Latin disputare "weigh, examine, discuss, argue, explain," from dis- "separately" (see dis-) + putare "to count, consider," originally "to prune" (see pave).

Used in Vulgate in sense of "to argue, contend with words." Related: Disputable; disputed; disputing. The noun is not certainly recorded before 1590s (disputacioun in that sense is from late 14c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with disputed

dispute

see in dispute.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.