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View synonyms for argue

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈarguer, noun
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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
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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”)
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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
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Example Sentences

The Department of Justice was joined in the filing by a group of US states that argued the changes will help to open up a monopolised market.

From BBC

The government argued the legislation was needed to make the industry more sustainable and ease pressure on housing, and it was expected to easily pass with opposition support this week.

From BBC

Over 100 Australian academics have criticised the ban as "too blunt an instrument" and argued that it goes against UN advice which calls on governments to ensure young people have “safe access” to digital environments.

From BBC

By tapping Harris to take the lead on the border, Silver argued that Biden handed the vice president "Democrats' worst issue."

From Salon

But only one country, Finland, has actually built such a facility, while environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners argue that dumping waste out of sight and out of mind is simply too risky.

From BBC

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When To Use

What are other ways to say argue?

To argue is to present reasons for or against a thing or to contend in oral disagreement. How does argue compare to discuss and debate? Find out on Thesaurus.com

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