debate

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. argument, dispute, controversy; forum, panel discussion; war of words. —v. argue, discuss, dispute; bandy words, take sides, lock horns, contend; reflect, consider. See conversation, reasoning.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. contest, match, argumentation, disputation, polemics, forensics, dialectic, deliberation; see also discussion 1 , dispute .

v.

Syn. argue, discuss, confute, refute, controvert, oppose, question, contend, contest, reason, wrangle, answer, ponder, weigh, differ, dispute, engage in oral discussion, argue the pros and cons of, hold a confab*, jaw*, chew the fat*, cross verbal swords*, moot*, bandy*; see also argue 1 , discuss .

Ant. agree*, concur, concede.

See Synonym Study at discuss .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

argument, dispute, war of words, contention, wrangle, controversy, contest, deliberation, disagreement, forensic. ''Feud for thought.''—Cynthia Scott. ''The shortest cut between two minds.''—Kahlil Gibran.

II

v.

argue, dispute, *wage a war of words, contend, wrangle, controvert, contest, disagree, deliberate, bicker, *hash out, *lock horns, rebut.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb To put forth reasons for or against something, often excitedly: argue, contend, dispute, moot. See AFFIRM, WORDS. II noun 1. A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed: altercation, argument, bicker, clash, contention, controversy, difficulty, disagreement, dispute, fight, polemic, quarrel, run-in, spat, squabble, tiff, word (used in plural), wrangle. Informal: hassle, rhubarb, tangle. See CONFLICT. 2. The presentation of an argument or arguments: argumentation, disputation, forensics. See AFFIRM, WORDS.