different between debate vs clash

English

Etymology

From Old French debatre (“to fight, contend, debate, also literally to beat down”), from Romanic desbattere, from Latin dis- (“apart, in different directions”) + battuere (“to beat, to fence”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??be?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Noun

debate (countable and uncountable, plural debates)

1. 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.

2. An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views.
3. (uncountable) Discussion of opposing views.
4. (frequently in the French form débat) 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.
5. (obsolete) Strife, discord.

Translations

Verb

debate (third-person singular simple present debates, present participle debating, simple past and past participle debated)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena. [from 14th c.]
   • August 11, 1709, Isaac Bickerstaff (pseudonym for Richard Steele or (in some later numbers of the journal) Joseph Addison), The Tatler No. 53

     He presents that great soul debating upon the subject of life and death with his intimate friends.

2. (obsolete, intransitive) To fight. [14th-17th c.]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.viii:

     Well knew they both his person, sith of late / With him in bloudie armes they rashly did debate.

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 15:

     ... wasteful Time debateth with Decay,

     To change your day of youth to sullied night

3. (obsolete, transitive) To engage in combat for; to strive for.
   • 1838, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic

     Volunteers […] thronged to serve under his banner, and the cause of religion was debated with the same ardour in Spain as on the plains of Palestine.

4. (transitive) To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide

Derived terms

• debater

Related terms

• debatable
• debation

Translations

Further reading

• debate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• debate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• beated, bed tea, bed-tea, betaed

Albanian

Noun

debate m pl

1. indefinite plural of debat

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /de.?ba.t?i/

Noun

debate m (plural debates)

1. debate

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:debate.

Verb

debate

1. third-person singular present indicative of debater
2. second-person singular imperative of debater

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:debate.

Spanish

Noun

debate m (plural debates)

1. debate, discussion

Related terms

• debatir

Verb

debate

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of debatir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of debatir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of debatir.

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic origin. Compare German klatschen (“to clap, smack, slap”) and Klatsch (“a clapping sound; the din resulting from two or more things colliding”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kla?/, /klæ?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /klæ?/
• Rhymes: -æ?

Noun

clash (countable and uncountable, plural clashes)

1. (onomatopoeia) A loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects.

   I heard a clash from the kitchen, and rushed in to find the cat had knocked over some pots and pans.

2. (military) A skirmish, a hostile encounter.
3. (sports) a match; a game between two sides.
4. An angry argument
5. Opposition; contradiction; such as between differing or contending interests, views, purposes etc.

   a clash of beliefs

   a personality clash

6. A combination of garments that do not look good together, especially because of conflicting colours.

   She was wearing a horrible clash of red and orange.

7. (hurling) An instance of restarting the game after a "dead ball", where it is dropped between two opposing players, who can fight for possession.
8. (Scotland) Chatter; gossip; idle talk.

Translations

Verb

clash (third-person singular simple present clashes, present participle clashing, simple past and past participle clashed)

1. (intransitive) To make a clashing sound.

   The cymbals clashed.

2. (transitive) To cause to make a clashing sound.
3. To come into violent conflict.

   Fans from opposing teams clashed on the streets after the game.

4. (intransitive) To argue angrily.

   My parents often clashed about minor things, such as the cleaning or shopping rota.

5. (intransitive, in games or sports) To face each other in an important game.
6. (intransitive, of clothes, decor, colours) To fail to look good together; to contrast unattractively; to fail to harmonize.

   You can't wear that shirt! It clashes with your trousers.

   The hotel room was ugly, and the wallpaper clashed with the carpet.

7. (intransitive, of events) To coincide, to happen at the same time, thereby rendering it impossible to attend all.

   I can't come to your wedding because it clashes with a friend's funeral.

   I wanted to take German, but it clashed with art on the timetable.

8. (intransitive, Scotland) To chatter or gossip.

Translations

Related terms

• clashy
• electroclash
• soundclash

Anagrams

• chals