- 1 [countable, uncountable] a conversation or discussion in which two or more people disagree, often angrily to win/lose an argument After some heated argument a decision was finally taken. argument (with somebody) (about/over something) We had an argument with the waiter about the bill. argument with somebody She got into an argument with the teacher. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebitter, heated, violent, … verb + argumentbecome involved in, get into, get involved in, … argument + verbarise, break out, develop, … prepositionargument about, argument between, argument over, … phrasesbrook no argument See full entry See related entries: Anger
- 2 [countable] a reason or set of reasons that somebody uses to show that something is true or correct Her main argument was a moral one. argument for/against something There are strong arguments for and against euthanasia. argument that… His argument was that public spending must be reduced. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebasic, general, central, … verb + argumentadvance, deploy, make, … argument + verbbe based on something, depend on something, rely on something, … prepositionargument against, argument concerning, argument for, … phrasesall sides of an argument, both sides of an argument, a flaw in the argument, … See full entry See related entries: Linguistic devices
- 3[uncountable] argument (about something) the act of disagreeing in a conversation or discussion using a reason or set of reasons Let's assume for the sake of argument (= in order to discuss the problem) that we can't start till March. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebitter, heated, violent, … verb + argumentbecome involved in, get into, get involved in, … argument + verbarise, break out, develop, … prepositionargument about, argument between, argument over, … phrasesbrook no argument See full entry See related entries: Linguistic devices Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘process of reasoning’): via Old French from Latin argumentum, from arguere ‘make clear, prove, accuse’. Wordfinderdebateargument, ayes, chair, debate, the floor, motion, propose, second, speak, voteExtra examples As I see it, his argument boils down to a combination of two basic points. Centralized government, so the argument goes, is too far removed from the problems of ordinary citizens. Do you have any evidence to support your argument? He felt offended by the suggestion, and a violent argument ensued. He put forward some very convincing arguments. He was able to see both sides of the argument. I can see a few problems with this line of argument. I can see no flaw in the argument as she has just explained it. I can see no flaw in your argument. I don’t want to get into an argument with her. I had a big argument with my mother this morning. I was determined to win the argument. I’ll briefly address each argument. In her closing argument, the prosecutor said that the hairs found on the defendant matched those of the victim. Jory was always the one who settled arguments between us. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument that we can’t start till March. Minutes later a violent argument erupted. She tried to think how to refute the argument on moral grounds. The argument over decentralization will probably continue for ever. The author makes a compelling argument for the use of hydrogen as a fuel. The company dismissed his arguments as alarmist. The government’s argument is always based on how much such a plan would cost. The proposals were accepted without further argument. The same argument applies to adoption. Their argument sounds plausible but is it really valid? There is a very good argument for increasing spending on education. There is room for argument about precise figures. These arguments suggest that the medical establishment had an interest in suppressing the research. This argument can be applied to other contexts. This argument is developed further in the next chapter. We had an argument about what we should buy. What are the arguments in favour of change? an argument between her parents an argument with his wife arguments concerning the nature of morality the arguments against increasing taxes the bitter arguments raging about who was the real winner the language used to frame the legal arguments After some heated argument a decision was finally made. There are strong arguments for and against childhood vaccinations.
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//ˈɑːɡjumənt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈɑːrɡjumənt//
Linguistic devices, AngerCheck pronunciation: argument
