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

debate

verb

/dɪˈbeɪt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they debate	/dɪˈbeɪt/ /dɪˈbeɪt/
he / she / it debates	/dɪˈbeɪts/ /dɪˈbeɪts/
past simple debated	/dɪˈbeɪtɪd/ /dɪˈbeɪtɪd/
past participle debated	/dɪˈbeɪtɪd/ /dɪˈbeɪtɪd/
-ing form debating	/dɪˈbeɪtɪŋ/ /dɪˈbeɪtɪŋ/

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[transitive, intransitive] to discuss something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution synonym discuss
- debate (something) Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
- It is time to debate the issue of school funding.
- They debated endlessly, without ever reaching a decision.
- The question of the origin of the universe is still hotly debated (= strongly argued about) by scientists.
- to be openly/widely/publicly debated
- debate whether, what, etc… The committee will debate whether to lower the age of club membership to 16.
Synonyms talk
talkdiscuss ▪ speak ▪ communicate ▪ debate ▪ consultThese words all mean to share news, information, ideas or feelings with another person or other people, especially by talking with them.
talk to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas:
We talked on the phone for over an hour.
discuss (rather formal) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide something:
Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
You cannot say ‘discuss about something’: I’m not prepared to discuss about this on the phone. speak to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody:
I’ve spoken to the manager about it.
‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation)
talk or speak?Speak can suggest a more formal level of communication than talk. You speak to somebody about something to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do something. You talk to somebody in order to be friendly or to ask their advice: Have you talked to your parents about the problems you’re having? • I’ve spoken to Ed about it and he’s promised not to let it happen again.
communicate (rather formal) to exchange information or ideas with somebody:
We only communicate by email.
Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
Communicate is often used when the speaker wants to draw attention to the means of communication used.debate to discuss something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution:
Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
consult (rather formal) to discuss something with somebody in order to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision:
You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me.
Patterns
- to talk/discuss something/speak/communicate/debate/consult with somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody/consult somebody about something
- to talk/speak of something
Extra Examples
- The question of security needs to be debated publicly.
- The report has been widely debated in the industry.
- a presidential candidate debating with his opponent
Topics Opinion and argumentb2, Politicsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- fully
- properly
- seriously
- …
preposition
- with
phrases
- be widely debated
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[intransitive, transitive] to think carefully about something before making a decision
- debate (with yourself) She debated with herself for a while, and then picked up the phone.
- debate whether, what, etc… We're debating whether or not to go skiing this winter.
- debate doing something For a moment he debated going after her.

Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin dis- (expressing reversal) + battere ‘to fight’.

See debate in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee debate in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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Other results

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debate noun

Nearby words

alloy

noun

From the Topic

Physics and chemistry

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