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
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
Excluded from this narrative is DJ Spinderella, who broke with the band in 2019 and is not a part of this dispute.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2026
Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Protesters were rallying against an event being held in the synagogue, where New Yorkers were being offered real estate opportunities in Jerusalem, which some argue include disputed territory in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispute
Noun
Friday’s courtroom dispute also came as recent comments in Kansas and Clay County have suggested that the Royals’ options could be narrowing.
—Verb
Government officials have characterized the use-of-force as self-defense while local officials and eye witnesses have disputed that account as the case remains under investigation.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispute
Noun
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The controversy stemmed from an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR filed by Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, which argued the racing organization wasn’t properly sharing its revenue with the teams that compete in the sport’s top company.—
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Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on culinary controversies and presidential proclamations.—
Noun
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But by agreeing to disagree on these ideological quarrels, negotiators could manage to find ways to prevent them from triggering unnecessary crises.—
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Police said the quarrel escalated when a 39-year-old man pulled out a gun and shot the victim twice.—
Verb
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England only played one warm-up match before the series, against an England Lions team, while McCullum’s attack-minded philosophy has also been questioned amid a number of hapless dismissals during the series.—
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The striking parallels between the two regimes have led many observers to turn their attention to Iran and question whether the ailing Khamenei could face a similar fate.—
Verb
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Someone on the bench started bickering with Cameroon’s first goalscorer, Junior Tchamadeu, during a break in play.—
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The Federal Reserve chair and the president stood stiffly, side by side, in matching hard hats, bickering on a building site, for all the world to see.—
Verb
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Opposite a serene Rooney Mara and a raging Claire Foy, Buckley is a lone dissenting voice in Sarah Polley’s heart-wrenching portrait of a group of women and girls in an isolated Mennonite colony who are debating how to respond to a series of brutal attacks from the men in their community.—
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The band was the first to sanction fan taping at their concerts, spawning an abundance of homespun recordings that have been collected, traded and debated for decades.—
Noun
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According to him, advances in machine learning have yanked questions once trapped inside theological/philosophical disputations into corporate board packs.—
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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.—
Noun
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During the altercation, the security guard shot and killed the man, McCabe said.—
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In 2019, Dykstra had drug and terroristic threat charges dropped after an altercation with an Uber driver in New Jersey in 2018.—
Verb
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However, former Federal Air Marshal Peter Johnson — who founded Archway Defense, which has trained state, local and federal law enforcement in firearms for the past decade — told WCCO the street is not the place to challenge a federal agent's orders.—
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Bringing back engagement Longbow also wants to challenge how electric cars feel from behind the wheel.—
Cite this Entry
“Dispute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispute. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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