argue

American  

[ahr-gyoo] / ˈɑr gyu /

verb (used without object)

argued, arguing

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.

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verb (used with object)

argued, arguing

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 British  

/ 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

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Usage

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. 

Other Word Forms

• arguer noun
• counterargue verb
• overargue verb
• reargue verb
• well-argued adjective

Etymology

Origin of argue

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”)

Explanation

When people argue, they disagree with each other, sometimes loudly. You don’t always have to yell when you argue, though, sometimes you’re just trying to prove a point. If your mom tells you to be home for dinner, don’t argue! When you think of the word argue, you might think of angry people screaming at one another, but that’s only one meaning of this verb. The other is "to present reasons and evidence about a stance or opinion." For example, if you give a speech in support of world peace, you might argue that nations accomplish more when they work together, giving examples to support this idea. When you present reasons why you believe in something, you argue for it.

Example Sentences

Even if Pangram misfires on a given op-ed, the study’s broader pattern—that A.I. use is showing up across major newspaper opinion pages, his own included—is impossible to argue with.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

In some jurisdictions, a fraud victim — like a defrauded bank — may argue for treatment as a special class of creditor with direct access to trust funds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Critics of the product liability argue that the product design and content it delivers cannot be separated.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

You can argue whether that was enough to cause the Liverpool player to fall over, but usually contact means there should be no clear and obvious error.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

She couldn’t argue with that so they went back into the hut.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Related Words

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