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# debate

«debate» in Mova's school dictionary: **a formal discussion where people give arguments for and…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a debate, debates; debate, uncountable); verb (debate, debates, debated, debating)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A debate is a formal discussion where people give arguments for and against an idea, often with rules and a vote at the end. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#m1)

2) Debate is discussion and disagreement about something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#m2)

3) To debate is to discuss something carefully, or to think hard about which choice to make. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In school, pupils hold debates in class or a debating club: one side argues for («for the motion») and the other against. In social studies, parliament and councils debate new laws. In everyday life you debate what to do, «I debated whether to go». Phrases: hold a debate, debating team, a heated debate, open to debate, debate whether.

### examples

- Our class held a debate about school uniform. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x1)
- The two sides took turns in the debate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x2)
- There is a lot of debate about the best way to learn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x3)
- The council debated the new park for hours. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x4)
- I debated whether to have pizza or pasta. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x5)
- She joined the school debating team. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x6)
- Whether cats are better than dogs is open to debate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x7)
- But when the Mice further debated who among them should thus “bell the Cat,” there was no one found to do it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/#x8)

### note

Countable for events (a debate, debates), uncountable for discussion in general. Verb: debated, debating. Pronounced di-BAYT. In a debate you should attack the argument, not the person.

### In the corpora

- [Parliament is where elected representatives, called MPs in the UK, debate and vote on new laws.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/31-votes-parties-and-the-people-in-charge/15/)
- [The motion is the topic of a debate, such as "Homework should be banned".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/49-debating-and-discussion/5/)
- [Politicians, lawyers and scientists all use debate skills, and arguing respectfully is a skill, not bad behaviour.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/49-debating-and-discussion/15/)
- [Athens loved debate, trade, art and its navy; Sparta loved discipline, obedience and its army.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/11-ancient-greece-city-states-athens-and-sparta/13/)
- [One claim is a myth, the other is a real debate.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/65-light-machines-and-medicine-how-the-last-250-years-changed-a-normal-day/2/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «debate» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/debate/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.