Dispute: An Argument Serious Enough to Need Settling
A dispute is a disagreement that has hardened. As a verb it means to challenge a claim, and it often ends up in front of someone with the power to decide.
A dispute is a disagreement that has become a thing in its own right: a border dispute, a pay dispute, a dispute over a bill. As a verb, to dispute something is to say openly that it is not true or not fair. Unlike a quarrel, a dispute is usually expected to end in a decision — a settlement, a ruling, a vote.
- A disagreement or conflict. *A long-running border dispute.*
- To argue against a claim. *Nobody disputes the figures.*
- To compete for something. *Two runners disputing the lead.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | dispute | A pay dispute. |
| Verb | dispute | They dispute the charge. |
| Past | disputed | A disputed election. |
| Adjective | disputable | A disputable claim. |
| Adjective | indisputable | Indisputable proof. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The two countries have a dispute over fishing rights.Over is the usual preposition after the noun.
- She disputed the bill and asked for an itemised copy.Disputing a bill is a set phrase in customer service.
- His skill is beyond dispute.Beyond dispute means nobody seriously argues about it.
Where you will meet the word
- Industrial dispute — a conflict between workers and an employer
- Dispute resolution — the formal machinery for settling one without a trial
- Disputed territory — land claimed by more than one state
- In dispute — still unsettled
- Beyond dispute — settled beyond argument
From Latin *disputare*, to weigh up or examine, from *dis* (separately) and *putare*, to reckon or prune. The accounting image is the honest one: a dispute is what happens when two people count the same thing and get different answers.
Where is the stress in *dispute*?
The verb is always dis-PUTE. The noun is dis-PUTE in British English, and some American speakers say DIS-pute.
Is a dispute the same as an argument?
An argument can be a single exchange. A dispute is the whole disagreement, and it can go on for years.