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
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 dispute
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
This dispute eventually went to a third-party arbitrator who found that Angel was indeed in breach and ordered it to pay The Chosen‘s producers $5 million in fees and recoverable costs.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump, now 78, disputed that in a 2023 post on his Truth Social platform.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Noun
At the center of these disputes is the president's authority to remove executive branch officers from their positions at independent agencies.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
This dispute eventually went to a third-party arbitrator who found that Angel was indeed in breach and ordered it to pay The Chosen‘s producers $5 million in fees and recoverable costs.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
The matter has been discussed, disputed, and litigated multiple times.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Trump, now 78, disputed that in a 2023 post on his Truth Social platform.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispute
Noun
-
Up next, a ubiquitous presence on television, unafraid of controversy, sounding off on everything from sports to pop culture to politics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The sort-of antagonist in The Last of Us Part II first stirred up controversy when the game originally debuted in 2020.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As the Venetians and the Ottoman Turks squabble over Cyprus in the background, the men before us quarrel over everything—a woman, a job, a handkerchief.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The basketball star has a reputation for being able to silence media noise in the most crucial moments, but the family element of this quarrel seems to have hit a little too close to home this time.—
Christian Orozco,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The shooting Saturday in Pocatello outraged the boy's family and neighbors as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation or use less lethal weapons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes The government has long had broad discretion to question and search noncitizens before admitting them into the country.—
Albert Sun,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Sorrell also said bickering by leadership is affecting the community.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Kicking things off, Samantha, who had been debating on leaving the show in the previous episode, managed to pull Farmer John, 25, aside for what proved to be a pivotal conversation.—
Dory Jackson,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The origins of the pandemic have been hotly debated since its start.—
Youri Benadjaoud,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 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
-
Panthers center Sam Bennett, who had a contentious altercation with Marchand in Round 2 of the playoffs last year, said Marchand’s first message after being added to the team group chat was a chirp.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
-
The footage shows an altercation between Perez and a man that officials say lasted for about 15 minutes before officers arrived on the scene.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The judge heard arguments in the case after a federal judge in Massachusetts transferred the 30-year-old's lawsuit challenging her detention to Vermont rather than dismiss it or send it to Louisiana as the U.S. Justice Department wanted.—
Nate Raymond,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Khalil has separate court cases playing out in two states – the Louisiana case is focused on his deportation order and the New Jersey case is focused on his habeas petition challenging the legality of his detention.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dispute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispute. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share