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debating

Saydi-BAYT-ing/dɪˈbeɪtɪŋ/

Pluraldebatings

2 meanings of debating

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  1. 1
    nouncountable or uncountable
    The act of taking part in a debate, arguing for or against a position in front of others.

    Competitive debating rewards quick thinking and careful preparation.

    Her years of debating made her remarkably persuasive in meetings.

    Note

    Most often a mass noun, as in competitive debating or years of debating, but it can also be counted. William Cobbett's History of the Protestant Reformation (1824–1826) imagines ministers with no "debatings and dividings to look to." The plural turns the activity into a run of separate occasions, and the pairing sets the arguing beside the dividing that follows it.

  2. 2
    verb
    Present participle of debate.

    The committee is debating the proposal this afternoon.

    Lawmakers are debating the bill behind closed doors.

    Note

    The -ing form keeps the verb's grammar. It follows be in progressive tenses (are debating), and it works with or without an object: debating the bill, or simply debating. It also carries the private sense of turning a choice over in one's mind, as in debating whether to go. Unlike the noun for the activity, it can still take a direct object.

debating is a form of debate

debate, verb: To argue a question out with other people, each side putting its case, especially in public. Full entry

Forms
debatedebates he/she/itdebating -ing formdebated past tense, past participle
Spelling
debate → debating: drop the e, add -ing

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