Meaning of debate In English

• 0 (a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part:

  • Education is the current focus of public debate.

  • How we proceed from here is a matter for debate.

  • Over the year we have had several debates about future policy.

  • The team won their Round 3 debate against Mitcham Girls High School.

  • The students were taking part in a debate contest.

• 1 to discuss a subject in a formal way:

  • In Parliament today, MPs debated the Finance Bill.

  • They had been debating for several hours without reaching a conclusion.

  • [ + question word ] The authorities debated whether to build a new car park.

  • [ + question word ] We debated whether to take the earlier train.

  • I'm still debating what colour to paint the walls.

• 2 a discussion, esp. one in which several people with different opinions about something discuss them seriously, or the process of discussing something:

  • [ U ] Education is always a topic of interest and public debate.