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debate

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verb [intransitive/transitive] American English pronunciation: debate /dɪˈbeɪt/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theydebate
he/she/itdebates
present participledebating
past tensedebated
past participledebated
  1. 1
    if people debate a subject, they discuss it formally before making a decision, usually by voting

    Congress is still debating the bill.

    hotly debated (=with very strong opposing opinions):

    This is one of the most hotly debated issues today.

    debate whether:

    The two sides debated whether to raise taxes.

  2. 2
    to consider an action or situation carefully before you decide what to do

    I debated whether or not to call her parents.

    debate what:

    He stopped and debated what to do next.

    debate doing something:

    She debated leaving without saying anything, but decided against it.

derived word

debating

adjective

a debating team

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