Library / English Dictionary

ARGUE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Present reasons and arguments

Synonyms:

argue; reason

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "argue" is one way to...):

lay out; present; represent (bring forward and present to the mind)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "argue"):

re-argue (argue again)

expostulate (reason with (somebody) for the purpose of dissuasion)

defend; fend for; support (argue or speak in defense of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence examples:

Sam and Sue argue

Sam wants to argue with Sue

Derivation:

arguable (capable of being supported by argument)

arguer (someone who engages in debate)

argument (a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal)

argumentation (a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning)

argumentation (a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give evidence of

Example:

The results indicate the need for more work

Synonyms:

argue; indicate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "argue" is one way to...):

lay out; present; represent (bring forward and present to the mind)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

argument (a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true)

argumentation (a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning)

argumentation (a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Have an argument about something

Synonyms:

argue; contend; debate; fence

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "argue" is one way to...):

converse; discourse (carry on a conversation)

"Argue" entails doing...:

differ; disagree; dissent; take issue (be of different opinions)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "argue"):

stickle (dispute or argue stubbornly (especially minor points))

spar (fight verbally)

bicker; brabble; niggle; pettifog; quibble; squabble (argue over petty things)

altercate; argufy; dispute; quarrel; scrap (have a disagreement over something)

oppose (be against; express opposition to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

Sam and Sue argue

Sam wants to argue with Sue

Derivation:

arguer (someone who engages in debate)

argument (a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement)

argumentative (given to or characterized by argument)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The researchers argue that although they result from a natural process, these emissions may also be responding to environmental change, such as the building of dams across the Amazon basin.

(Amazon trees are major source of methane emission, SciDev.Net)

The data argues against the notion that a thick atmosphere and winds are moving heat around the planet as previously thought.

(Spitzer Maps Climate Patterns on a Super-Earth, NASA)

These alarms, and the desperate need for secrecy, argue that the matter is one of life or death.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If the mutineers succeeded in crossing the stockade, he argued, they would take possession of any unprotected loophole and shoot us down like rats in our own stronghold.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Alleyne scarce saw his way to argue in the face of so decided an opinion on the part of a high dignitary of the Church.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I couldn’t convince her all at once, an’ so I brought her with me, and we argued it out on the way.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This may not be; cease to argue the point, for I cannot consent.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

A behavior disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior towards authority figures, manifested by a frequent loss of temper, arguing, becoming angry or vindictive, or other negativistic behaviors.

(Oppositional Defiant Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers behind the study argue that if government policy made menu labelling mandatory, it could encourage restaurants to produce healthier options, leading to public health benefits.

(Menu labelling linked to less fat and salt in food, University of Cambridge)

The researchers argue that these more modern traces could have two possible sources.

(Antarctic lakes are a repository for ancient soot, NSF)