Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To argue about; debate.
- v. To question the truth or validity of; doubt: Her friends disputed her intentions.
- v. To strive to win (a prize, for example); contest for: Our team disputed the visitors' claim to the championship.
- v. To strive against; resist: disputed the actions of his competitors.
- v. To engage in discussion or argument; debate. See Synonyms at discuss.
- v. To quarrel angrily.
- n. A verbal controversy; a debate.
- n. An angry altercation; a quarrel. See Synonyms at argument.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To engage in argument or discussion; argue in opposition; oppose another in argument: absolutely or with with or against.
- Hence To engage in altercation; wrangle; quarrel.
- To strive or contend in opposition to a competitor; compete: as, to dispute for the prize.
- To argue about; discuss.
- To argue against; attempt to disprove or overthrow by reasoning; controvert; deny: as, to dispute an assertion, opinion, claim, or the like.
- To call in question; express doubt of or opposition to; object to.
- To strive to gain or to maintain; contest: as, to dispute a prize.
- To encounter; strive against.
- Synonyms Debate, Discuss, etc. See argue.
- n. Argumentative contention: earnest discussion of opposing views or opinions; controversial strife.
- n. Wrangling; contention; strife; quarrel.
- n. A contest of any kind.
- n. Synonyms Controversy, Dispute (see controversy), debate, discussion, altercation.
Wiktionary
- n. An argument or disagreement, a failure to agree.
- n. Verbal controversy; contest by opposing argument or expression of opposing views or claims; controversial discussion; altercation; debate.
- n. Contest; struggle; quarrel.
- v. To contend in argument; to argue against something maintained, upheld, or claimed, by another.
- v. To make a subject of disputation; to argue pro and con; to discuss.
- v. To oppose by argument or assertion; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of.
- v. To strive or contend about; to contest.
- v. To struggle against; to resist.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To contend in argument; to argue against something maintained, upheld, or claimed, by another; to discuss; to reason; to debate; to altercate; to wrangle.
- v. To make a subject of disputation; to argue pro and con; to discuss.
- v. To oppose by argument or assertion; to attempt to overthrow; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of.
- v. To strive or contend about; to contest.
- v. To struggle against; to resist.
- n. Verbal controversy; contest by opposing argument or expression of opposing views or claims; controversial discussion; altercation; debate.
- n. Contest; struggle; quarrel.
WordNet 3.0
- v. take exception to
- n. a disagreement or argument about something important
- v. have a disagreement over something
- n. coming into conflict with
Etymologies
- Middle English disputen, from Old French desputer, from Latin disputāre, to examine : dis-, apart; see dis- + putāre, to reckon; see pau-2 in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The label dispute reflects two fundamentally different views of fair trade, says”
“What's not in dispute is the dead-on impression played by Urbanski, a Hollywood producer ( "The Contender") and occasional guest host on Rush Limbaugh's radio show.”
“To criticize Israel without mentioning other countries whose violations of human rights aren't even in dispute is anti-Semitic.”
“The two Balkan neighbors have failed to resolve a name dispute that has blocked the tiny republic's accession to NATO and progress toward becoming a member of the European Union.”
The Huffington Post: Giant Alexander Statue Erected In Macedonia, Vexing Greece
“Almost two decades of UN-led negotiations over the name dispute have been fruitless.”
“The question in dispute is whether Job was an honest man or no, the same question that was in dispute between God and Satan in the first two chapters.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon)
“In the final findings for bidders to use in preparation for the lease sale, published November 9th, Division of Oil and Gas officials say the U-S State Department has notified Alaska of the title dispute, and that potential bidders should? be prepared for [...] (HTML is stripped out and links are not linked.)”
“This dispute is the latest flashpoint in one of this sport's longest-running battles — between Europe's richest pro teams that pay the game's superstars, and the national federations that participate in tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championship.”
The Wall Street Journal: Bayern Munich versus The Netherlands
“Caught in the middle of the dispute is the port, which stands to earn up to $80,000 a month receiving and handling the cargo.”
“The conclusion of the dispute is a cautionary tale for countries confronting China about currency manipulation.”
The Huffington Post: Leo W. Gerard: To Counter Currency Manipulation: Rally Some Allies

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