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Definition of dispute verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dispute

verb
 
/dɪˈspjuːt/
 
/dɪˈspjuːt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they dispute
 
/dɪˈspjuːt/
 
/dɪˈspjuːt/
he / she / it disputes
 
/dɪˈspjuːts/
 
/dɪˈspjuːts/
past simple disputed
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪd/
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪd/
past participle disputed
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪd/
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪd/
-ing form disputing
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈspjuːtɪŋ/
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  1. [transitive] to question whether something is true or legally or officially acceptable
    • dispute something These figures have been disputed.
    • to dispute a decision/claim
    • The family wanted to dispute the will.
    • dispute that… No one is disputing that there is a problem.
    • dispute whether, how, etc… | it is disputed whether, how, etc… It is disputed whether the law applies in this case.
    Extra Examples
    • No one can dispute the fact that men still hold the majority of public offices.
    • The minister disputed the claim that the funding was insufficient.
    • The players disputed the referee's decision.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • hotly
    • strongly
    • vigorously
    verb + dispute
    • can
    See full entry
  2. [transitive, intransitive] to argue or disagree strongly with somebody about something, especially about who owns something
    • dispute something (with somebody) I tried to dispute the bill with the waiter.
    • The United Nations recognizes the area as a disputed territory.
    • The issue remains hotly disputed.
    • dispute with somebody He taught and disputed with local poets.
    Extra Examples
    • The effectiveness of this treatment is still hotly disputed.
    • The ownership of this land has been disputed for centuries.
    Topics Opinion and argumentc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • hotly
    • strongly
    • vigorously
    verb + dispute
    • can
    See full entry
  3. [transitive] dispute something to fight to get control of something or to win something
    • On the last lap three runners were disputing the lead.
  4. Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin disputare ‘to estimate’ (in late Latin ‘to dispute’), from dis- ‘apart’ + putare ‘reckon’.
See dispute in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dispute in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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