noun
plural -bates
a discussion between people in which they express different opinions about something
A debate can be an organized event, an informal discussion between two or more people, or a general discussion that involves many people. [count]
If something is a matter of debate or open to debate, people have different ideas and opinions about it.
verb
-bates; -bated; -bating
[+ obj] :to discuss (something) with people whose opinions are different from your own
to compete against (someone) in a debate :to argue against another person's opinions as part of an organized event [+ obj]
[+ obj] :to think about (something) in order to decide what to do