(~s, disputing, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is an argument or disagreement between people or groups.
They have won previous pay ~s with the government...
N-VAR: usu with supp, oft N with/over n, N between pl-n
2.
If you ~ a fact, statement, or theory, you say that it is incorrect or untrue.
He ~d the allegations...
Nobody ~d that Davey was clever...
Some economists ~d whether consumer spending is as strong as the figures suggest.
VERB: V n, V that, V wh
3.
When people ~ something, they fight for control or ownership of it. You can also say that one group of people ~ something with another group.
Russia and Ukraine have been disputing the ownership of the fleet...
Fishermen from Bristol ~d fishing rights with the Danes.
...a ~d border region.
V-RECIP: pl-n V n, V n with n, V-ed
4.
If two or more people or groups are in ~, they are arguing or disagreeing about something.
The two countries are in ~ over the boundaries of their coastal waters...
PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR with n, PHR over n
5.
If something is in ~, people are questioning it or arguing about it.
All those matters are in ~ and it is not for me to decide them.
PHRASE: v-link PHR