at issue

Idioms  

1. In question, under discussion; also, to be decided. For example, Who will pay for the refreshments was the point at issue . [Early 1800s]

2. In conflict, in disagreement, as in Physicians are still at issue over the appropriate use of hormone therapy . This usage, from legal terminology, was defined by Sir William Blackstone ( Commentaries on the Laws of England , 1768), who said that when a point is affirmed by one side and denied by the other, “they are then said to be at issue .”

---

Example Sentences

“Focus on those facts that are at issue in this case,” Schmit urged the jury.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

But there is a trade-off between the amount of money at issue here and the time and grief trying to get reimbursed could cause you.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Those tariffs—including others threatened under IEEPA, representing about $130 billion in revenue—are at issue in the Supreme Court ruling investors have been awaiting.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

In a declaration filed in court on Monday, the head of HSI’s Minneapolis field office said the agency was “the lead investigatory entity reviewing the use-of-force encounter at issue in this case.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

There’s the narration, where you set out the points at issue, and the proof, where you make the arguments for your case.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• debatable
• problematic
• unresolved
• unsettled