1
as in controversy
variance of opinion on a matter
a dispute over the proper pronunciation of "nuclear"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quarrel
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
after much dispute, the school committee decided that all backpacks would have to be stored in lockers during class hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to question
to demand proof of the truth or rightness of
a whole slew of relatives eager to dispute his claim to being the sole heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily
hometown fans disputing with visiting fans over which had the better team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to debate
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
in an extended session the city council disputed the need for a new high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dispute
Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
The dispute has unfolded as CBS parent company Paramount Global seeks the FCC’s approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 21 May 2025
No autopsy was performed and accounts of what caused his death are disputed.
—Roisín Savage, NBC news, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Noun
Lee-Gardner became involved in the dispute and is accused of hitting the homeowner in her head with a pistol.
—Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
The dispute has unfolded as CBS parent company Paramount Global seeks the FCC’s approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
The administration later accused Khalil of immigration fraud, which his lawyers also dispute.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 21 May 2025
No autopsy was performed and accounts of what caused his death are disputed.
—Roisín Savage, NBC news, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispute
Noun
-
Her crypto controversy began the very next day, resulting in a show hiatus.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
20 May 2025
-
But the treaty is not without its controversies, some of which remain to be sorted out.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
-
Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
Inside the car were three people identified as Yasmin Cobb, 18, Josiah Sneed, 21 and Clifton Ray Foster Jr., 25, who all have Texas addresses listed on their arrest reports All three were detained and taken to the HSI office for questioning.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2025
-
On Tuesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by several public health experts.—
Carla K. Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
In the film, Lawrence and her co-star Robert Pattinson proved worthy adversaries, who bicker and screw their way into emotional oblivion in Ramsay’s tense portrait of a woman undone.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
17 May 2025
-
Protesters shouted from the back of the room and lawmakers bickered.—
Eric Lipton,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
In fact, a simple search for side part on TikTok will generate a range of videos debating whether the look is either cheugy or the comeback style of the century.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
24 May 2025
-
Body camera footage obtained by his attorney, Keith Rutman, shows officers debating whether to take him to a nearby psychiatric hospital.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Jake is a single father who has brought Kristen up in the severe Calvinist tradition, marked by Bible disputations of Talmudic intricacy and by a radical detachment from secular and popular culture.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2023
-
Seven decades later, this culture of disputation emerged as a central theme in Timothy Garton Ash’s The Magic Lantern, his eyewitness report on the Eastern European revolutions of 1989.—
Susie Linfield,
The New York Review of Books,
11 May 2022
Noun
-
Jaques said officers at 7:49 a.m. on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who reported that someone was following her vehicle while waving a gun following an altercation at a local gas station.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Initial data provided by the department suggest that practicing the martial art not only helps boost officers' physical and mental health, but also enables cops to use less force during an arrest or altercation.—
Katja Ridderbusch,
NPR,
26 May 2025
Verb
-
Village women are challenging that outlook by incorporating the bird into traditional songs and handcrafts.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
20 May 2025
-
Ritchie's attorneys are challenging that decision in federal court and have also filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dispute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispute. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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