I. dis ‧ pute 1 W2 /dɪˈspjuːt, ˈdɪspjuːt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
1 . a serious argument or disagreement
dispute with
The firm is involved in a legal dispute with a rival company.
dispute over
He got into a dispute over a taxi fare.
dispute between
the bitter border dispute between the countries
2 . be beyond dispute if something is beyond dispute, everyone agrees that it is true or that it really happened:
It is beyond dispute that advances in medicine have enabled people to live longer.
3 . be open to dispute if something is open to dispute, it is not completely certain and not everyone agrees about it:
His interpretation of the poem is open to dispute.
4 . be in dispute if something is in dispute, people are arguing about it:
The facts of the case are still in dispute.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ resolve/settle a dispute (=end it)
It is hoped that the dispute can be resolved peacefully.
▪ be involved in a dispute
The US government became involved in a dispute with China.
▪ get into a dispute (=become involved)
We don’t want to get into a dispute with them.
▪ be in dispute with somebody
He was in dispute with the company about his contract.
▪ be locked in a dispute (=be involved in one that is difficult to resolve)
Workers and management are locked in a bitter dispute.
▪ a dispute arises (=starts)
Sometimes a dispute arises between the seller and the buyer.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + dispute
▪ a bitter/fierce dispute (=very angry)
It caused a bitter dispute between the neighbouring republics.
▪ a long-running dispute (=continuing for a long time)
India’s long-running dispute with Pakistan
▪ an industrial dispute British English a labor dispute American English (=between workers and employers)
A lot of working days are lost through industrial disputes.
▪ a pay dispute (=about how much money employees are paid)
The pay dispute involved 450 staff.
▪ a political/legal dispute
There was a long legal dispute between the two companies.
▪ a domestic dispute formal (=between people who live together)
The court heard that he had been stabbed during a domestic dispute.
▪ a border dispute (=about where the border between two countries is)
a border dispute between Argentina and Chile
▪ a territorial dispute (=about which country land belongs to)
The war started as the result of a territorial dispute.
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THESAURUS
▪ argument a situation in which people speak angrily to each other because they disagree about something:
an argument between two drivers over who had right of way
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A 29-year-old man was shot and killed today after an argument over a gambling debt.
▪ row British English , fight especially American English a loud angry argument with someone, especially your boyfriend, girlfriend, or someone in your family. Row is also used about a serious disagreement between politicians about important public issues:
There were always fights between my parents.
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the continuing row over tax increases
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A few months ago they had a big row, and Steve drove off and spent the weekend in London.
▪ disagreement a situation in which people disagree with each other, but without shouting or getting angry:
There were the occasional disagreements about money, but mostly we got on well.
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Ginny had left the company after a disagreement with her boss.
▪ quarrel especially British English an argument, especially one in which people get angry and that lasts a long time. Quarrel sounds more formal and more serious than argument or row :
a bitter family quarrel
▪ feud /fjuːd/ a very bitter argument between two groups, especially families, which lasts for many years and causes people to hate each other:
The feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys raged for 20 years.
▪ dispute a public or legal argument about something, especially one which continues for a long time:
Morris has been involved in a long legal dispute with his publisher.
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The settlement will resolve a long-running dispute over the country’s nuclear program.
▪ war/battle of words an argument in which two people or groups criticize each other continuously in public:
The war of words over construction delays at the airport has erupted again.
▪ bust-up British English informal a very bad argument, especially one in which people decide to separate from each other:
He had a bust-up with the team manager.
▪ shouting match an angry argument in which people shout at each other:
He got into a shouting match with another driver.
▪ slanging match British English informal an argument in which people insult each other:
He was sacked after a slanging match with a colleague.
II. dis ‧ pute 2 /dɪˈspjuːt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: desputer , from Latin disputare 'to discuss' , from putare 'to think' ]
1 . [transitive] to say that something such as a fact or idea is not correct or true:
The main facts of the book have never been disputed.
dispute that
Few would dispute that travel broadens the mind.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] formal to argue or disagree with someone
dispute (something) with somebody
Hazlitt, though much younger, was soon disputing with Wordsworth on equal terms.
What happened next is hotly disputed.
3 . [transitive] to try to get control of something or win something:
Soviet forces disputed every inch of ground.