as in disputed
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1
as in pondered
to give serious and careful thought to still debating what to do
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2
as in discussed
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion we debated the advantages versus the disadvantages of the proposed waterfront development
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debated
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026 The trade, approved under new team governor Patrick Dumont, has remained one of the most debated moves in recent NBA history, according to sports analysts, with lingering questions about communication within the organization and the long-term direction of the franchise. —Sergio Candido, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 The referendum centers on long debated reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of Italy’s judiciary. —ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 Safety aspects of autonomous vehicles remain debated, but industry groups claim the technology could reduce road fatalities by removing human error from driving. —Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026 Actor Jeff Daniels ran out of jelly one day, reached for barbecue sauce instead, and accidentally created one of the most debated sandwiches on the internet. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026 That balance of a decades-old history and a new brand’s need to establish itself in its own right shapes the leadership challenge facing Strazik, who joined GE in 2000 when it was still led by Jack Welch, one of the defining — and most debated — business leaders of the 20th century. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026 As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026 Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026 Overall, the reasons for the decline are still debated. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026 For the last quarter of the 20th century, presidents and Congresses of both parties annually debated how to reduce deficits and several times reached consequential multi-year deals, culminating during the second Clinton term in four straight years of surpluses. —Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026 The budget, which will be debated and adjusted by the mayor and the City Council, also merges three city departments into others and eliminates the Office of Child and Youth Success. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 The Mississippi legislature debated temporarily allowing out-of-state distributors to sell and ship alcohol directly to retailers. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 In a similar fight last year, lawmakers debated whether to cut tipped workers’ minimum wages to help shore up the restaurant industry. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026 Palo Alto is calling a series of suicides in the city a public health crisis, and the city council debated a controversial way to save lives Wednesday night. —Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026 But those plans were set aside last year while the future of the ISS was debated, and Sierra Space announced a pivot to national defense and security applications in orbit. —Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The most controversial and debated article on Mint Press News is about the use of chemical agents in the Syrian civil war. —Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026 The trade, approved under new team governor Patrick Dumont, has remained one of the most debated moves in recent NBA history, according to sports analysts, with lingering questions about communication within the organization and the long-term direction of the franchise. —Sergio Candido, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 The referendum centers on long debated reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of Italy’s judiciary. —ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 Safety aspects of autonomous vehicles remain debated, but industry groups claim the technology could reduce road fatalities by removing human error from driving. —Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026 Actor Jeff Daniels ran out of jelly one day, reached for barbecue sauce instead, and accidentally created one of the most debated sandwiches on the internet. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026 That balance of a decades-old history and a new brand’s need to establish itself in its own right shapes the leadership challenge facing Strazik, who joined GE in 2000 when it was still led by Jack Welch, one of the defining — and most debated — business leaders of the 20th century. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026 As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Jan. 2026 Dogs are believed to descend from ancient gray wolves, though the exact wolf populations that gave rise to them remain debated. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
From the start, experts have debated whether the unusually large group of chimps would split. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026 Overall, the reasons for the decline are still debated. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026 For the last quarter of the 20th century, presidents and Congresses of both parties annually debated how to reduce deficits and several times reached consequential multi-year deals, culminating during the second Clinton term in four straight years of surpluses. —Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026 The budget, which will be debated and adjusted by the mayor and the City Council, also merges three city departments into others and eliminates the Office of Child and Youth Success. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 The Mississippi legislature debated temporarily allowing out-of-state distributors to sell and ship alcohol directly to retailers. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 In a similar fight last year, lawmakers debated whether to cut tipped workers’ minimum wages to help shore up the restaurant industry. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026 Palo Alto is calling a series of suicides in the city a public health crisis, and the city council debated a controversial way to save lives Wednesday night. —Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026 But those plans were set aside last year while the future of the ISS was debated, and Sierra Space announced a pivot to national defense and security applications in orbit. —Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debated
Adjective
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There was violence after the disputed 2025 reelection of 92-year-old Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who first came to power in 1982.— Mathew Schmalz, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
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After Thompson’s testimony, Muscolino called witnesses, which included city workers, who testified against George’s claim to owning the disputed roadway.— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The philosopher Biggie Smalls once pondered the nature of dangerously escalating rivalries.— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
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Standing alone in a Swedish laundromat, Alfie Whiteman set a 10-second timer on his camera and pondered what to do next.— Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Aurelien Tchouameni, a player already at Real, is also being discussed in United meetings.— Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
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Dries and Charlap Hyman discussed the way client requests have changed over the years.— The Editors of AD, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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When Cuban refugees flooded Miami in 1980 after the Mariel boatlift, the county passed a controversial ordinance that largely banned the use of taxpayer money for programs conducted in languages besides English.— David Ovalle, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
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And yet, there is worry that one of the new personalities might go rogue; do something that doesn’t adhere to an organization’s journalism standards; or, most challenging, do something controversial on their own platform that becomes associated with the mainstream news venue that employs them.— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zbur said future expansion would be based on its success in Santa Monica, and that such expansion is already contemplated.— Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
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As Jackson County officials contemplated what to call the state-of-the-art twin stadiums due to open in the early 1970s, one obvious name emerged.— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as anyone who has argued over a set of new windows can attest, condo boards are a better example.— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
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In 1978, during the Carter administration, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel argued that the president has the legal authority to pick an existing member of the Fed's board as acting chair if the role becomes vacant.— Joe Walsh, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sip creative cocktails in an elegant speakeasy at L’Antiquario, considered one of the world’s best bars.— Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026
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Eating gelatin as a food additive is considered safe, but taking high doses in a supplement may cause side effects, and rare allergic reactions are possible.— Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Federal Trade Commission has studied surveillance pricing methods since 2024, and found retailers often used people’s personal information to set individualized pricing information.— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
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Though his family is Ashkenazi, Cohen didn’t grow up speaking Yiddish — his father studied at Berkeley, his mother at the London School of Economics — and his accent bears little trace of his origins.— Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/debated. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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