argue

[ ahr-gyoo ]

verb (used without object)

, ar·gued, ar·gu·ing.

1. to present reasons for or against a thing:

   He argued in favor of capital punishment.

2. to contend in oral disagreement; dispute:

   The senator argued with the president about the new tax bill.

verb (used with object)

, ar·gued, ar·gu·ing.

1. to state the reasons for or against:

   The lawyers argued the case.

2. to maintain in reasoning:

   to argue that the news report must be wrong.

3. to persuade, drive, etc., by reasoning:

   to argue someone out of a plan.

4. to show; prove; imply; indicate:

   His clothes argue poverty.

argue

/ ˈɑːɡjuː /

verb

1. intr to quarrel; wrangle

   they were always arguing until I arrived

2. intr; often foll by for or against to present supporting or opposing reasons or cases in a dispute; reason
3. tr; may take a clause as object to try to prove by presenting reasons; maintain
4. tr; often passive to debate or discuss

   the case was fully argued before agreement was reached

5. tr to persuade

   he argued me into going

6. tr to give evidence of; suggest

   her looks argue despair

Derived Forms

• ˈarguer, noun

Other Words From

• argu·er noun
• counter·argue verb counterargued counterarguing
• over·argue verb overargued overarguing
• re·argue verb reargued rearguing
• well-argued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of argue¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French arguer, from Latin argūtāre, argūtārī “to babble, chatter,” frequentative of arguere “to prove, assert, accuse” (in Medieval Latin: “to argue, reason”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of argue¹

C14: from Old French arguer to assert, charge with, from Latin arguere to make clear, accuse; related to Latin argūtus clear, argentum silver

Related Words

• appeal
• assert
• claim
• contend
• defend
• demonstrate
• explain
• indicate
• maintain
• plead
• present
• suggest
• testify