DEBATING Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

debating

verb

present participle of debate

as in pondering

to give serious and careful thought to still debating what to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in discussing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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 debating No one in the courtroom is debating Patrick Clancy’s guilt or innocence. — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 Iran’s parliament is debating a bill to withdraw from the NPT, according to Iranian lawmakers. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 But the race has not turned into the nail-biter most anticipated, and Democrats outside Georgia are taking notice – at a time when the party is debating how to escape the political wilderness and win back a majority in Congress. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 Lopez was represented by Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods, who argued jurors should be debating involuntary manslaughter, not murder. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 The company, which did not comment for this story, has had internal guidelines in place since 2019 that discourage employees from debating politics. — Sylvia Varnham O’Regan, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026 Nobody's debating whether that person gets to sit in the stands. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Within days, Wall Street was debating whether activist investors might try to break up Big Blue. — Harvard Business Review, 24 Aug. 2026 Supporters are circulating clips of Ossoff’s speeches, debating his prospects against other potential 2028 Democratic contenders and increasingly comparing his trajectory with Obama’s rapid rise from the Senate to the White House. — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debating

Verb

Instead, the fast-casual restaurant chain's CEO and co-founder woke up pondering the country's ongoing cyclospora outbreak.

— Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
One lucky Maryland resident might be pondering that after becoming the state's third $1 million winner in the past two weeks.

— Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of pondering

Verb

When discussing his current mental state, Jake was forthcoming about how difficult this time period has been.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
The current proposal is not final, and the school board is expected to continue discussing the plan through the fall before taking any action.

— Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of discussing

Verb

The central bank, meanwhile, is contemplating raising interest rates later this year, potentially issuing its first hike since 2023.

— Matt Richardson, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Earlier, writer-director Lanctôt won two prizes at Venice in 1984 for her first feature, Sonatine, about two teenage girls contemplating suicide.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of contemplating

Verb

O’Leary, who owns multimillion-dollar homes in Florida, Massachusetts, and Toronto, has made the point to shop at Walmart on numerous occasions—long arguing that there’s no reason to pay more for everyday essentials when a cheaper option will do.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Nevada promptly sued, arguing the plan is untenable for Las Vegas.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of arguing

Verb

That is meaningful for schools, considering that around 90% of the United States' 480,000 school buses run on diesel.

— Willa Rubin, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Manish Tibrewal, co-founder of family office Farro Capital, said his firm has seen a sharp pickup in inquiries from Chinese families considering to relocate to Singapore.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of considering

Verb

Greyson said nearly five decades of studying near-death experiences has convinced him there is probably something after death.

— Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
After studying hospitality in Switzerland and working in New York with chef Daniel Boulud, Kfoury returned to Lebanon, only to live through another war in 2006.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of studying

Verb

The regulator is also investigating the poor performance of recent initial public offerings, according to people familiar with the matter, and questioning the advice given by investment banks to companies selling stock, Semafor reported this month.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
The trailer shows footage of Paul questioning Mortensen about a lip tattoo of her initials, which was detailed in her filing.

— McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of questioning

Verb

No, not entertaining in the typical star-player-doing-amazing-things kind of way.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
With a staff of tremendous talent, including director Mitch Riggin, FOX Sports IndyCar Director, Miller produces and entertaining telecast that sets FOX Sports apart from its other television competitors.

— Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of entertaining

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debates

debating

debauch

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“Debating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of debating

verb

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