debates

5 definitions • 11 examples

(a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part:

Education is the current focus of public debate.

for debate How we proceed from here is a matter for debate.

debate about Over the years we have had several debates about future policy.

a competition in which teams of people, often students, discuss a subject and the team that is judged to make the best arguments wins:

The team won their Round 3 debate against Mitcham Girls High School.

The students were taking part in a debate contest.

to discuss a subject in a formal way:

In Parliament today, MPs debated the Finance Bill.

They had been debating for several hours without reaching a conclusion.

[ + question word ] The authorities debated whether to build a new car park.

to try to make a decision about something:

[ + question word ] We debated whether to take the earlier train.

I'm still debating what colour to paint the walls.

a discussion, esp. one in which several people with different opinions about something discuss them seriously, or the process of discussing something:

[ U ] Education is always a topic of interest and public debate.