Associations to the word «Debate»

Wiktionary

DEBATE, noun. (obsolete) Strife, discord.
DEBATE, noun. 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.
DEBATE, noun. An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
DEBATE, noun. (uncountable) Discussion of opposing views.
DEBATE, noun. (Frequently in French form débat) 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.
DEBATE, verb. (ambitransitive) To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena. [from 14th c.]
DEBATE, verb. (obsolete) (intransitive) To fight. [14th-17th c.]
DEBATE, verb. (obsolete) (transitive) To engage in combat for; to strive for.
DEBATE, verb. (transitive) To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide

Dictionary definition

DEBATE, noun. A discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal; "the argument over foreign aid goes on and on".
DEBATE, noun. The formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote).
DEBATE, verb. Argue with one another; "We debated the question of abortion"; "John debated Mary".
DEBATE, verb. Think about carefully; weigh; "They considered the possibility of a strike"; "Turn the proposal over in your mind".
DEBATE, verb. Discuss the pros and cons of an issue.
DEBATE, verb. Have an argument about something.

Wise words

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
Nathaniel Hawthorne