dispute.

1. A disagreement or controversy about a matter, often involving competing claims or interests.

2. To challenge the truth, validity, correctness or ownership of something.

3. To argue or disagree about a matter with another party.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• factual dispute
• dispute over terms

On the page

The factual dispute concerned the sequence rather than whether the meeting had occurred.

A dispute over terms delayed the agreement without ending every form of cooperation.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Singular dispute; plural disputes. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: counterevidence assessment, argument critique, qualified assertion, formal disagreement. Disciplines: argumentation, research interpretation, social analysis. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: disputes.