Definition of "debate" []

To consider something; deliberate. (verb-intransitive)
To engage in argument by discussing opposing points. (verb-intransitive)
To engage in a formal discussion or argument. See Synonyms at discuss. (verb-intransitive)
Obsolete To fight or quarrel. (verb-intransitive)
To deliberate on; consider. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "debate" in a sentence

"I think that there's room for debate about what is or isn't appropriate for public calling-out, but I think that the word *debate* there is key - not just running with a default assumption of anything possibly hurtful = bad = verboten."
"One form might claim that the idea of a significant debate is generated by unsupported or unsupportable philosophical theses about the relationship of the experiencing and minded subject to their world, and that once these theses are exorcised the ˜debate™ will gradually wither away."
"In either case, dressing the whole thing up in "debate" is futile."