debate

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To consider something; deliberate.
2. v. To engage in argument by discussing opposing points.
3. v. To engage in a formal discussion or argument. See Synonyms at discuss.
4. v. Obsolete To fight or quarrel.
5. v. To deliberate on; consider.
6. v. To dispute or argue about.
7. v. To discuss or argue (a question, for example) formally.
8. v. Obsolete To fight or argue for or over.
9. n. A discussion involving opposing points; an argument.
10. n. Deliberation; consideration: passed the motion with little debate.
11. n. A formal contest of argumentation in which two opposing teams defend and attack a given proposition.
12. n. Obsolete Conflict; strife.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To engage in combat; fight; do battle.
2. To dispute; contend.
3. To deliberate together; discuss or argue; also, reflect; consider.
4. To fight or contend for; battle for, as with arms.
5. To contend about in argument; argue for or against; discuss; dispute: as, the question was debated till a late hour.
6. To reflect upon; consider; think.
7. Synonyms Argue, Dispute, Debate, etc. See argue.
8. n. Strife; contention; contest; fight; quarrel.
9. n. Contention by argument; discussion; dispute; controversy: as, forensic debates.
10. n. Subject of discussion.
11. To abate; lower.
12. To abate; fall off.
13. n. Debasement; degradation.

Wiktionary

1. n. Strife, discord.
2. n. 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.
3. n. An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
4. n. Discussion of opposing views.
5. n. 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.
6. v. To fight. [14th-17th c.]
7. v. To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena. [from 14th c.]

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To engage in combat for; to strive for.
2. v. To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against.
3. v. To engage in strife or combat; to fight.
4. v. To contend in words; to dispute; hence, to deliberate; to consider; to discuss or examine different arguments in the mind; -- often followed by on or upon.
5. n. A fight or fighting; contest; strife.
6. n. Contention in words or arguments; discussion for the purpose of elucidating truth or influencing action; strife in argument; controversy.
7. n. Subject of discussion.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote)
2. v. have an argument about something
3. n. a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal
4. v. discuss the pros and cons of an issue
5. v. think about carefully; weigh.
6. v. argue with one another