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

"The conduct at issue, namely the observation and recording of our training session ahead of a fixture of such significance, goes to the heart of sporting integrity and fair competition," Middlesbrough's statement said.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

The rule at issue, the agency had previously concluded, would “provide critical health protections to hundreds of thousands of people living near chemical plants.”

From Salon • May 10, 2026

The state law was not directly at issue in the Supreme Court ruling, but Hasen argues the court’s reasoning could provide new legal grounds to challenge the state law as potentially unconstitutional.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

The majority didn’t explain its reasoning, but Kavanaugh wrote a separate 10-page opinion explaining why he thought the stops at issue in the case were lawful under longstanding Supreme Court precedent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In division, you start by summarizing the salient points of agreement, then set out the points that are at issue.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• debatable
• problematic
• unresolved
• unsettled