# debate

Pronunciation: say "di-BAYT" /dɪˈbeɪt/

## Noun

1. Discussion in which people put forward and weigh opposing opinions, whether in public or informally among friends.
   - Simple: talk in which people give different opinions about something and argue about which is right
   - _The proposal generated heated debate among economists._
   - _Climate policy remains a subject of intense debate worldwide._
2. A structured discussion, often among several people in a formal setting, in which opposing positions are argued and which usually concludes with a vote or decision.
   - Simple: A formal talk where people argue different views, usually ending with a vote or decision.
   - _The candidates faced off in a televised debate before the election._
   - _Parliament's debate on the new tax bill stretched late into the night._

## Verb

3. To argue a question out with other people, each side putting its case, especially in public.
   - Simple: To argue about something with other people, usually in public.
   - _The senators debated the proposed law for hours._
   - _Scholars continue to debate the meaning of the ancient text._
4. To consider something privately, turning it over in your mind in an attempt to decide.
   - Simple: To think carefully about something in your head before making a choice.
   - _He debated the merits of each offer before signing._
   - _I often debate whether honesty is always the best policy._

## Noun

5. Conflict and discord between people; quarrelsome strife. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Angry fighting or bad feeling between people.

## Verb

6. To fight or do battle, especially to fight in order to win something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: an old use meaning to fight, or to fight to get something

## Other meanings

- (noun) A medieval literary form, in verse, presenting a discussion or disputation between opposing figures or ideas.

## Origin

**Meanings 3–4, 6** — Latin dis- ("apart, in different directions") joined with battuō ("to beat, to fence") to give the Old French verb debatre, which meant "to fight, contend, debate" and, taken literally, "to beat down." Middle English borrowed it as debaten.
**Meanings 1–2, 5** — The noun came into Middle English as debat from Old French debat, which had been formed from the verb debatre.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/debate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).