debatenoun [ C or U ]
uk/dɪˈbeɪt/us/dɪˈbeɪt/B2 (a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part:
Education is the current focus of public debate.
How we proceed from here is a matter for debate.
Over the year we have had several debates about future policy.
More examples
- The debate completely changed course after Liz made her speech.
- The debate about food safety has engaged the whole nation.
- She issued a challenge to her rival candidates to take part in a public debate.
- The prison riots have sharpened the debate about how prisons should be run.
- This proposal will almost certainly spark another countrywide debate about how to organize the school system.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Debate & discussion
- arena
- compare
- conciliate
- dialectic
- float around
- fly
- fly around
- get down to business idiom
- kick sth around
- negotiable
- negotiate
- parley
- reason with sb
- sophistry
- speak
- talk sth out
- talk sth over
- thrash
- toss
- weigh in
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debateverb
uk/dɪˈbeɪt/us/dɪˈbeɪt/C2 [ I or T ] to discuss a subject in a formal way:
In Parliament today, MPs debated the Finance Bill.
They had been debating for several hours without reaching a conclusion.
[ + question word ] The authorities debated whether to build a new car park.
[ T ] to try to make a decision about something:
[ + question word ] We debated whether to take the earlier train.
I'm still debating what colour to paint the walls.
More examples
- The matter was hotly debated in all the towns of the realm.
- There was no seconder for the motion so it could not be debated.
- The ethics of journalism are much debated.
- They were debating the proposition that 'All people are created equal'.
- I'm still debating whether to take the job or not.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Debate & discussion
- arena
- compare
- conciliate
- dialectic
- float around
- fly
- fly around
- get down to business idiom
- kick sth around
- negotiable
- negotiate
- parley
- reason with sb
- sophistry
- speak
- talk sth out
- talk sth over
- thrash
- toss
- weigh in
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Thinking and contemplating
debater
noun [ C ] uk/dɪˈbeɪ.tər/us/dɪˈbeɪ.t̬ɚ/
She was a good speaker and an excellent debater.