debate

verb

1. (ambitransitive, reciprocal)To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena.

   “"Debate me, coward!" snarled the completely normal intellectual.”

   “a wise council […] that did debate this business”

   “Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself.”

   “He presents that great soul debating upon the subject of life and death with his intimate friends.”

   “When the legislation was debated by the House of Commons, Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said it was "riddled with holes", while former Conservative Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was "badly written".”

2. (intransitive, obsolete, reciprocal)To fight.

   “Well knew they both his person, sith of late / With him in bloudie armes they rashly did debate.”

   “[…] wasteful Time debateth with Decay, To change your day of youth to sullied night”

3. (obsolete, transitive)To engage in combat for; to strive for.

   “Volunteers […] thronged to serve under his banner, and the cause of religion was debated with the same ardour in Spain as on the plains of Palestine.”

4. (transitive)To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide

   “He was debating where he'd spend his holiday.”

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)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.

   “After a four-hour debate, the committee voted to table the motion.”

2. (countable, uncountable)An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.

   “The debate over the age of the universe is thousands of years old.”

   “There was a bit of a debate over who should pay for the damaged fence.”

   “The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use.”

3. (uncountable)Discussion of opposing views.

   “There has been considerable debate concerning exactly how to format these articles.”

   “Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom.”

4. (countable, uncountable)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.
5. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Strife, discord.