debate

Plural: debates

Noun

• a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal
• the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote)
• An argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting, often with more than two people, generally ending with a vote or other decision.
• An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
• Discussion of opposing views.
• A type of literary composition, taking the form of a discussion or disputation, commonly found in the vernacular medieval poetry of many European countries, as well as in medieval Latin.
• Strife, discord.

Verb

Verb Forms: debated, debating, debates

• To discuss opposing reasons; to argue or dispute.
• argue with one another
  • "We debated the question of abortion"
  • "John debated Mary"
• think about carefully; weigh
• discuss the pros and cons of an issue
• have an argument about something
• To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena.
• To fight.
• To engage in combat for; to strive for.
• To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide

Examples

• "Debate me, coward!" snarled the completely normal intellectual.
• After a four-hour debate, the committee voted to table the motion.
• He was debating where he'd spend his holiday.
• The debate over the age of the universe is thousands of years old.
• There has been considerable debate concerning exactly how to format these articles.
• There was a bit of a debate over who should pay for the damaged fence.
• We often DEBATE the validity of a word before consulting the official Scrabble dictionary.

Synonyms

argue, argument, argumentation, consider, contend, deliberate, disputation, fence, moot, public debate, turn over

Related Words

abate, batter, battery, battle, combat, debatable, debation

Anagrams of debate