debate
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debate¹
- /dɪˈbeɪt/ UK
- /dɪˈbeɪt/ US
- /di-/ US
- /də-/ US
Rhymes with -eɪt
Where it comes from
From Middle English debaten, from Old French debatre (“to fight, contend, debate, also literally to beat down”), from Romanic desbattere, from Latin dis- (“apart, in different directions”) + battuō (“to beat, to fence”).
verb debates · debating · debated
- To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena. "Debate me, coward!" snarled the completely normal intellectual.
- To fight. Well knew they both his person, sith of late / With him in bloudie armes they rashly did debate.
- To engage in combat for; to strive for. Volunteers […] thronged to serve under his banner, and the cause of religion was debated with the same ardour in Spain as on the plains of Palestine.
- To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide He was debating where he'd spend his holiday.
debate²
- /dɪˈbeɪt/ UK
- /dɪˈbeɪt/ US
- /di-/ US
- /də-/ US
Rhymes with -eɪt
Where it comes from
From Middle English debat, borrowed from Old French debat, deverbal of debatre, see Etymology 1 for more.
noun debates
- 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. After a four-hour debate, the committee voted to table the motion.
- An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views. The debate over the age of the universe is thousands of years old.
- Discussion of opposing views. There has been considerable debate concerning exactly how to format these articles.
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: argue, disputation, contend, moot, argument, consider, deliberate, turn over, fence, public debate, controversy, polemic, dispute, contention, confrontation, discuss
Translations
Every language
verb participate in a debate
| Español | debatir |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 토론하다 toronhada |
| 中文 | 辯論 /辩论 biànlùn |
| हिन्दी | बहस करना bahas karnā, वाद-विवाद करना vād-vivād karnā, चर्चा करना carcā karnā |
| Kiswahili | mdahalo |
| Português | debater |
| Français | débattre |
| Deutsch | debattieren |
| Italiano | dibattere, discutere |
| Ελληνικά | αντιπαραθέτω antiparathéto, συζητώ syzitó, συνεξετάζω synexetázo |
| Русский | дискути́ровать diskutírovatʹ, спори́ть sporítʹ, обсужда́ть obsuždátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | tranh luận |
verb To consider to oneself
| Italiano | decidere, riflettere |
|---|
noun argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting
| Español | debate |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 의논 uinon, 토론 toron |
| 日本語 | 議論 giron, 討論 tōron, ディベート dibēto |
| 中文 | 辯論 /辩论 biànlùn, 討論 /讨论 tǎolùn |
| हिन्दी | वाद-विवाद vād-vivād |
| Kiswahili | mdahalo |
| Português | debate |
| Français | débat |
| Deutsch | Debatte |
| Italiano | dibattito |
| Ελληνικά | συζήτηση syzítisi |
| Română | discuție, dezbatere |
| Русский | деба́ты debáty, диску́ссия diskússija, спор spor, пре́ния prénija, обсужде́ние obsuždénije |
| Tiếng Việt | tranh luận, bình luận, thảo luận |
| العربية | مُنَاظَرَة munāẓara, مُنَاقَشَة munāqaša |
| עברית | דִּיּוּן diyún |
noun informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views
| Español | debate |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 辯論 /辩论 biànlùn |
| हिन्दी | बिबाद bibād, बहस bahas |
| Kiswahili | mdahalo |
| Português | debate |
| Français | débat |
| Deutsch | Diskussion |
| Italiano | dibattito |
| Ελληνικά | συζήτηση syzítisi |
| Română | dezbatere, discuție |
| Русский | диску́ссия diskússija, обсужде́ние obsuždénije |
noun discussion of opposing views
| Español | debate |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 辯論 /辩论 biànlùn |
| हिन्दी | वाद-विवाद vād-vivād |
| Kiswahili | mdahalo |
| Português | debate, discussão |
| Français | discussion |
| Deutsch | Streitgespräch |
| Italiano | discussione |
| Română | discuție, polemică, controversă |
| Русский | диску́ссия diskússija |
Talk about this word "debate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/debate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. debate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/debate "debate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/debate.Cite this
@misc{debate_2026,
title = {debate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/debate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
