How to Use debate in a Sentence

debate

1 of 2 noun
  • The meaning of the text has been the subject of considerable debate among scholars for many years.
  • The candidates participated in several debates before the election was held.
  • The debate was over faster cuts.
    — John H. Cochrane, Washington Post, 20 May 2026
  • Even the great door debate gets its due.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Here’s what stood out in the debate.
    — Ben Paviour may 6, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026
  • Here's how to watch the debate.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
  • But [the debate] didn’t last all that long.
    — Tim Folger, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026
  • So, any debate over a tight end at that spot could be null and void.
    — Mike Kaye march 16, Charlotte Observer, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Sound is also a big part of the debate.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 6 May 2026
  • The debate is not just about the power of prayer.
    — Peter Smith, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
  • The story has sparked debate across the league.
    — Cecil Merkerson Iii, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
  • This isn’t the kind of debate that will resolve overnight.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
  • This has been a long-running debate.
    — Peter Smith, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Baker didn’t frame it as a debate.
    — Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
  • That line is the kind of quote that could launch a thousand debate threads.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2026
  • That’ll kick off a week of floor debates and amendment marathons.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The debate ended then and there.
    — Robert Hormats, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
  • There were no debates involved, no refs called in, no bad-mouthing.
    — Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
  • And doesn’t Plan B have to win that debate?
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • But 15-year-old high school speech and debate nerds would catch it right away.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Some people use debate to manage how they are seen.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • That quote reframes the debate.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
  • There will be no postgame debate about Schneider’s move.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The data itself should not be up for debate.
    — George Bradt, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • For marketers, the saga is more than a quirky design debate.
    — Sonia Thompson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • My role would be to put those bills on the agenda and force real debate.
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
  • There is debate over whether these options help or harm patients.
    — Sarah Kwon, CBS News, 20 May 2026
  • The debate is not confined to Britain.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
  • That has blocked some items from making it to the dais for public debate.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
  • Why has recess become such a point of debate?
    — Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

debate

2 of 2 verb
  • Scholars have been debating the meaning of the text for years.
  • The students debated for an hour.
  • Whether or not the tax cuts benefit the lower classes is still hotly debated among economists.
  • The energy bill is currently being debated in Congress.
  • The President debated his challenger in front of a live audience on Tuesday.
  • In a third scene, the group debates what to do.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Our staff weighs in and debates the best team not in this week's poll.
    — The Si Staff, SI.com, 24 Sep. 2019
  • It has long been debated why the eyes were lost.
    — ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Anyone that wants to debate it, have at it.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The two are set to debate on April 2.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
  • There's no debating that a ball was thrown at a dugout.
    — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
  • Quite what lies at the root of that respect is open to debate.
    — New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021
  • How many of them turned up at the polls later is open to debate.
    — Michael Wines, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2020
  • Whether they can be enforced varies by state and is open to debate.
    — Time, 16 June 2020
  • The roundtable’s all here to debate that and much more.
    — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • People still debate that kind of thing.
    — Quanta Magazine, 11 June 2026
  • That is not what should be debated.
    — Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Hobbs has refused to debate her and does not hold as many large events.
    — Jess Bidgood, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Nov. 2022
  • Don’t debate with the hope of winning.
    — Solomon D. Stevens, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, where there had been debate, there was now no longer debate.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
  • Whether this is a new opera or a new musical is open to debate.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
  • The city has been debating a ban since late last summer.
    — Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Let others debate where the two truly stand on the list of greats.
    — Dan Gelston, Star Tribune, 14 Aug. 2020
  • And that could revive awareness of and debate about the tax gap.
    — Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 14 Aug. 2022
  • The House is set to debate and vote on the bill later in the day.
    — Grace Segers, CBS News, 25 June 2020
  • But these are quibbles that will be fun to debate in the coming weeks.
    — Julie Washington, cleveland, 18 Dec. 2019
  • The chef debates whether to serve the cabins or the saloon first.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
  • It will be debated by the city council next week.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
  • No one can debate that, and plenty of people don’t drink enough of it.
    — Madge Maril, Harper's BAZAAR, 10 May 2021
  • The Rockies’ brass has much to debate.
    — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: