debate
noun · verb
Simple meaning
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.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
duhbaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dəˈbeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
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.
An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
frequently in the 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.
verb
ambitransitivereciprocal
To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena.
transitive
To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: 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.
Used this way, debate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use debate
- “We debated the question of abortion.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote).
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.