1
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the couple's arguments were often loud enough to be heard all over the neighborhood
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2
as in explanation
a statement given to explain a belief or act
gave a solid argument for the redeeming value of the shockingly violent movie
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3
as in discussion
an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue
the president of the Senate has allotted a week for the argument of the treaty
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4
as in contention
an idea or opinion that is put forth in a discussion or debate
it's my argument that we have too many problems here on earth to concern ourselves with manned trips to Mars
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of argument
Recounting the incident at a late-night press conference, Chief Eric Smith said two officers responded about 9:13 p.m. to a home on Shining Willow Terrace in west Orlando, after receiving three calls about a loud argument happening inside.
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Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2024
The arguments outlined in the complaint mark a new roadmap for Trump and his legal team to chill free speech by weaponizing the courts.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Dec. 2024
Is there an argument that he was dealt a particularly bad hand?
geoffrey.skelley: The double-whammy of the Iran hostage crisis and the economic recession of 1980 are probably two of the worst punches a president seeking reelection has ever taken — outside of Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.
—Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, ABC News, 30 Dec. 2024
The son and father, along with other family members, allegedly engaged in a verbal argument prior to the fatal shooting.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for argument 
Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2024
The arguments outlined in the complaint mark a new roadmap for Trump and his legal team to chill free speech by weaponizing the courts.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Dec. 2024
Is there an argument that he was dealt a particularly bad hand?
geoffrey.skelley: The double-whammy of the Iran hostage crisis and the economic recession of 1980 are probably two of the worst punches a president seeking reelection has ever taken — outside of Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.
—Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, ABC News, 30 Dec. 2024
The son and father, along with other family members, allegedly engaged in a verbal argument prior to the fatal shooting.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for argument
Recent Examples of Synonyms for argument
Noun
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The neighbor whose property disputes require legal intervention rather than friendly conversation.Nik Ershov, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
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The dispute originated with a recurring issue in the River Valley when strong odors are emitted from a biowaste storage lagoon in the Arkansas River bottom in Crawford County.Penny Weaver, arkansasonline.com, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Still, the Selzer poll’s more than 16-percentage-point miss was wide enough that the pollster conceded she had been troubled by it and had racked her brain for explanations.James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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But a fuller explanation, drawn from corporate filings, interviews, and criminal court and bankruptcy records, shows how the DOJ, after years of aggressively prosecuting opioid companies, delayed for a decade a winning criminal case against Endo.Bob Fernandez, ProPublica, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Yet in more recent discussions, the phase has taken a very subtle yet problematic tone.Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Dec. 2024
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The Annunciation occurs when the angel Gabriel (Philippe Lacoste) flies in on a jet plane, and the young couple’s romance becomes a philosophical discussion about trust, desire, restraint, and faith.Armond White, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Week 15 saw the number of teams that have qualified for the playoffs increase to seven, while two more were cut out of contention.Sam Joseph, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
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Trump announced that the Republican Party would aim to eliminate the practice of changing the time, which has been a topic of bipartisan contention for years.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The heads of corporate branding cook up a brief, a design firm answers with a litany of slides, and, after iterations, interventions, and internal quarrels, the sign arrives in the physical plane, with glossy acrylic letterforms and antiseptic light.Laura Preston, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
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The key is to keep communication clear and avoid overreacting to petty quarrels and misunderstandings.Valerie Mesa, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For unknown reasons, members of the rival Rescue Creek pack crossed the river and launched an attack.Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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Asian Americans vote conservative for the same reasons that many Americans do.Harper's Magazine, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The standard debate in Western ethical theory is one that involves three points of view.Dave Anderson, Baltimore Sun, 31 Dec. 2024
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Now, scientists have shed more light on this debate by analyzing five ancient genomes from the syphilis disease family.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The bold assertions of a former president at a Southern Baptist Convention seminary that the institution disparagingly made statements about financial mismanagement ended with an anticlimactic, $0 legal settlement following new revelations that emerged in discovery.Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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Despite bold assertions from some suggesting AI/ML could completely replace engineers and SREs, the reality remains different.Tom Wilkie, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Argument.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/argument. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
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