debate

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• intransitive verb To consider something; deliberate.
• intransitive verb To engage in argument by discussing opposing points.
• intransitive verb To engage in a formal discussion or argument. synonym: discuss.
• intransitive verb Obsolete To fight or quarrel.
• intransitive verb To deliberate on; consider.
• intransitive verb To dispute or argue about.
• intransitive verb To discuss or argue (a question, for example) formally.
• intransitive verb Obsolete To fight or argue for or over.
• noun A discussion involving opposing points; an argument.
• noun Deliberation; consideration.
• noun A formal contest of argumentation in which two opposing teams defend and attack a given proposition.
• noun Obsolete Conflict; strife.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun Strife; contention; contest; fight; quarrel.
• noun Contention by argument; discussion; dispute; controversy: as, forensic debates.
• noun Subject of discussion.
• To abate; lower.
• To abate; fall off.
• To engage in combat; fight; do battle.
• To dispute; contend.
• To deliberate together; discuss or argue; also, reflect; consider.
• To fight or contend for; battle for, as with arms.
• To contend about in argument; argue for or against; discuss; dispute: as, the question was debated till a late hour.
• To reflect upon; consider; think.
• Synonyms Argue, Dispute, Debate, etc. See argue.
• noun Debasement; degradation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb To engage in combat for; to strive for.
• transitive verb To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against.
• intransitive verb obsolete To engage in strife or combat; to fight.
• intransitive verb To contend in words; to dispute; hence, to deliberate; to consider; to discuss or examine different arguments in the mind; -- often followed by on or upon.
• noun Archaic A fight or fighting; contest; strife.
• noun Contention in words or arguments; discussion for the purpose of elucidating truth or influencing action; strife in argument; controversy.
• noun rare Subject of discussion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun obsolete Strife, discord.
• noun An argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting, often with more than two people, generally ending with a vote or other decision.
• noun An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
• noun uncountable Discussion of opposing views.
• noun a type of literary composition, taking the form of a discussion or disputation, commonly found in the vernacular medieval poetry of many European countries, as well as in medieval Latin.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote)
• verb have an argument about something
• noun a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal
• verb discuss the pros and cons of an issue
• verb think about carefully; weigh
• verb argue with one another