debate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- discussion, argument, contention, controversy, dispute
[verb]
Synonyms:
- discuss, argue, dispute, question
- consider, deliberate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, weigh

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Contrasted words: agree, coincide, concur, affirm, aver, maintain, profess
Related Words: controverting, rebutting, refuting, altercate, quarrel, wrangle, confute, controvert, disprove, rebut, refute, demonstrate, prove, contend, contest

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English Thesaurus: discussion, debate, talks, negotiations, conference, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. de‧bate¹ S2 W2 AC /dɪˈbeɪt/ noun
[Word Family: noun: debate, debater; verb: debate]

1. [uncountable and countable] discussion of a particular subject that often continues for a long time and in which people express different opinions:
the gun-control debate in the US
The new drug has become the subject of heated debate within the medical profession.
debate over/about
There has been widespread public debate over the introduction of genetically modified food.
There was much lively debate about whether women should spend more time in the home.
A fierce debate raged over which artist’s work should be chosen for the prize.
debate between
the ongoing debate between environmentalists and the road-building lobby over the future of our countryside
Nuclear power has always been a topic that has sparked off considerable debate.

2. [uncountable and countable] a formal discussion of a particular problem, subject etc in which people express different opinions, and sometimes vote on them
debate on/over/about
a debate on legalized gambling
a televised debate
have/hold/conduct a debate
It would have been better to hold the debate during the day.
be under debate
What topics are under debate in Congress this week?

3. be open to debate (also be a matter for debate) if an idea is open to debate, no one has proved yet whether it is true or false Synonym : debatable:
Whether that would have made any difference is open to debate.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. debate² AC verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Word Family: noun: debate, debater; verb: debate]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: debatre, from batre 'to hit']

1. to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision or find a solution:
The issue will be debated on Tuesday.
debate whether/what/how etc
Meanwhile, philosophers debate whether it’s right to clone an individual.
debate (something) with somebody
an invitation to debate with William on the future of democracy
His conclusions are hotly debated (=argued about strongly).

2. to consider something carefully before making a decision
debate with yourself
I debated with myself whether I should tell anyone.
debate who/what/how etc
I’m still debating what to do.
debate doing something
For a moment Mary debated telling Rick the truth.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

debate
noun
I. discussion
ADJ. considerable | fierce, heated, intense, lively, vigorous There has been heated debate about whether the film should be allowed.
wider You cannot separate unemployment from the wider debate about the economy. | public Television actually encourages public debate about such issues.
political
VERB + DEBATE have | contribute to Many leading charities have contributed to the debate on world poverty.
encourage, promote A healthy society promotes vigorous debate.
spark off This accident has sparked off an intense debate on road safety.
stifle He accused the government of trying to stifle debate.
lose, win The environmentalists seem to have lost the debate over the building of this road.
be a matter for, be open to The benefits of the new law are open to debate.
DEBATE + VERB rage, take place A debate about safety is taking place in schools everywhere.
PREP. under ~ The issue is still under debate.
~ about/on/over the debate on the environment
~ among the debate among academics
~ surrounding the debate surrounding contemporary art
PHRASES the subject of debate The proposed changes to the law have been the subject of much debate.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

debate
II. a formal discussion
ADJ. brief | lengthy, long | acrimonious, fierce, heated, lively, stormy a stormy debate in the House of Commons
congressional, parliamentary a parliamentary debate on the fishing industry
VERB + DEBATE have, hold We had a brief debate about whether or not to accept the offer. The union holds debates for students.
participate in, speak in, take part in Do you ever speak in debates?
open The prime minister will open the debate.
close | lose, win The government lost the debate in the House of Commons.
PREP. during/in a/the~ | ~ about/on Many of these points were raised during the debate on prison reform.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

debate
verb
ADV. fully, properly, seriously, thoroughly | fiercely, hotly The issue is still being hotly debated.
openly, publicly The question of security needs to be debated publicly.
at length, endlessly, extensively
PREP. with a presidential candidate debating with his opponent He sat there debating with himself what to do.
PHRASES be widely debated The report has been widely debated in the industry.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

debate

considerable debate
There has been considerable debate about the way forward for education.
lively debate (=interesting and involving a lot of different opinions)
The conference produced some lively debate.
intense debate (=in which people put forward strong and different arguments)
The future of the nuclear industry has been a matter of intense debate.
a heated/fierce debate (=in which people express strong opinions in an angry way)
There has been a fierce debate over the way the war was fought.
a wider debate (=involving more people or a more general discussion)
We believe that there should be a wider debate on such an important issue.
a public debate (=in which people put forward their ideas publicly, so that everyone can form an opinion.)
He called for a public debate on race and discrimination.
national debate (=one that involves everyone in a country)
It is time to start a national debate on the future of the health service.
political debate (=involving members of political parties)
There was much political debate on pensions reform.
long-running debate (=continuing for a long time)
the long-running debate about the future of our inner cities
ongoing debate (=still continuing)
This is unlikely to be the final word in this ongoing debate.
have a debate
I think we should have a public debate on this issue.
provoke/spark/trigger debate (=cause a debate to start)
The episode provoked fierce debate about freedom of speech.
stifle debate (=prevent people from having a debate)
How can the party stifle debate on such an important issue?
debate rages (=happens over a period of time and and involves strong feelings)
A national debate is now raging over the level of youth crime.
be the subject of debate (=be something that people discuss)
Teaching methods have long been the subject of debate.
be a matter of debate (=be something that people have discussed)
The effectiveness of the government’s policy has been a matter of fierce debate.
be a matter for debate (=be something that people should discuss)
The future of the police force is a matter for public debate.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

discussion an occasion when you discuss something, or the process of discussing it:
After a long discussion, they decided to paint the room pale blue.
This led to a discussion of our favourite books.
There are several projects under discussion (=being discussed).
debate discussion of a particular subject that often continues for a long time, in which people express different opinions. Also used to mean a formal discussion of a subject, after which people vote for or against something:
There is a lot of debate about the safety of nuclear power.
The student union is holding a debate on immigration.
talks formal discussions between governments, organizations etc:
the Arab-Israeli peace talks
The next round of trade talks will be held in the spring.
Bilateral talks (=between two groups or countries)on refugees took place in November.
negotiations official discussions between two or more groups who are trying to agree on something:
The two sides have begun negotiations aimed at ending the dispute.
International negotiations on reducing sulphur dioxide emissions have ended without agreement.
conference a large formal meeting at which people from many places discuss their work or research, or important matters relating to their organization:
an international conference on nuclear physics
the Labour Party conference
consultation a formal discussion in which people who are affected by or involved in something can give their opinions:
The govenment promised a full public consultation before a decision was made to build the airport.
The revised syllabus was devised after wide consultations with the teaching profession.
discuss to talk seriously about problems, ideas, or plans:
They met to discuss how the building should be designed.
She refuses to discuss the matter.
talk something over to discuss something with someone because it will affect them, especially someone close to you:
Before you accept the job, talk it over with your family.
You two need to sit down and talk things over.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

talk to use words to communicate with someone about something:
I need to talk to you about your work.
She always enjoyed talking to Jim.
Can we talk?
speak to talk. Speak is a little more formal than talk. You often use it when saying that someone speaks in a particular way, or that you will speak to someone in order to try to get something done. You only use speak when saying that someone speaks a language:
He spoke with confidence and authority.
She was speaking quietly so she didn’t disturb anyone.
I’d like to speak to the manager.
Do you speak German?
go on/drone on/ramble to talk too much or for too long about something, in a way that makes people bored:
He went on about how great the team was.
I’d better stop rambling and let you get on with your work.
waffle /ˈwɒfəl $ ˈwɑː-/ British English disapproving informal to talk using a lot of words but without saying anything important:
I wish he would stop waffling and get to the point!
prattle on disapproving informal to talk continuously about silly and unimportant things:
She prattled on about her boyfriend for the entire journey.
What’s he prattling on about now?
have a conversation to talk to someone for a long time about everyday things:
She was having a conversation with one of her friends.
When I arrived, Joe and Jane were deep in conversation (=very involved in a conversation).
I can order food in a restaurant in French, but not have a conversation.
chat/have a chat informal to have a friendly informal conversation about things that are not very important:
The girls were chatting outside the house.
It’s been nice having a chat with you.
gossip to talk about other people’s private lives when they are not there, especially about things that you have heard, which are not completely true:
What are you two gossiping about?
visit with somebody American English informal to have a conversation with someone:
I visited with him last week.
converse formal to have a conversation with someone:
We met once and conversed briefly.
discuss to talk seriously about problems, ideas, or plans:
They met to discuss how the building should be designed.
She refuses to discuss the matter.
talk something over to discuss something with someone because it will affect them, especially someone close to you:
Before you accept the job, talk it over with your family.
You two need to sit down and talk things over.
debate to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision or solve a problem:
The issue will be debated on Tuesday.
The UN Security Council debated whether to impose sanctions.
have a talk
I must have a talk with Frank before I leave.
a long talk
I had a long talk with Nora this morning.
a little talk
I’m glad we’ve had this little talk.
a serious talk
Before she went to college, her father sat her down for a serious talk.
a quiet/private talk
She asked if she could have a private talk.
a good talk (=a long talk about important or interesting things)
She was upset, but we’ve had a good talk and things are okay now.
a nice talk
We all had lunch together and a nice talk.
have/hold talks
He called on the rebels to hold talks with the government.
enter into talks (=start having talks)
The Ambassador stated that France was prepared to enter into talks on the issue.
talks begin
Talks began in October and Venezuela said it expects an agreement to be signed soon.
talks continue/are underway
Talks will continue through the weekend.
talks break down/collapse (=stop because of disagreement)
Talks broke down today between the Russian and Japanese delegations.
talks resume/are resumed
Talks resumed in Geneva on April 19 after a month’s break.
talks end
The talks ended without a settlement being reached.
peace talks
All four Arab delegations walked out of the Middle East peace talks yesterday.
trade talks
Trade talks between the EU and the Americans have once again collapsed.
high-level talks (=involving important people)
The announcement came after a morning of high-level talks.
budget talks
The dollar fell as U.S. budget talks appeared unlikely to produce an agreement.
direct talks
The President declared that he was now prepared to enter into direct talks with the rebels.
bilateral talks (=involving two groups or countries)
Bilateral talks led to the resumption of diplomatic relations.
round-table talks (=when everyone can discuss things in an equal way)
An election law, agreed during round-table talks, gave every voter the right to two votes.
urgent talks
The Prime Minister called ministers together for urgent talks.
crisis talks (=talks to stop a situation getting worse or more dangerous)
The unions will hold crisis talks with the company in a bid to save jobs.
a round of talks (=a series of talks that is part of a longer process)
A third round of talks was held in May.
the breakdown/collapse of talks
The collapse of the talks sent shock waves round the world.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲