Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use dispute in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Dispute means an argument or disagreement; a failure to agree. Example: “Some residents disputed the proposal, saying it was based more on emotion than fact.”

Examples of dispute by meaning

nounAn argument or disagreement; a failure to agree.

  • But is not this dispute over the question whether we have free will or not very like a dispute that we might engage in over the color of a tree — whether it be green or blue?1919, Ellwood Hendrick, Percolator Papers, page 67

nounA disagreement between parties in a contract, lawsuit, treaty, or other legal matter.

  • Canadian experience throws light on the relative merits of a separate board for each dispute as compared with a permanent board to hear all disputes.1927, Ben Morris Selekman, “Synopsis”, in Postponing Strikes: A Study of the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act of Canada, page 28

verbTo make a subject of disputation; to argue pro and con; to discuss.

  • Some residents disputed the proposal, saying it was based more on emotion than fact.

verbTo oppose by argument or assertion; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call into question; to deny...

  • to dispute assertions or arguments

More sentences with dispute

  • The union had a dispute over sick time and other conditions of employment.From the entry condition
  • People sometimes dispute which generation of Star Trek is best, including the original and The Next Generation.From the entry generation
  • Church polity was a topic of fierce dispute in 17th-century Britain.From the entry polity
  • He went over to the finance department's side in this dispute.From the entry go over
  • Oil and other expendable resources are frequently the subject of military disputes.From the entry expendable
  • They were upset, having a flutter about getting me on their side in the dispute.From the entry flutter
  • When a dispute arises, it is common to see a page protected to avoid edit warring.From the entry edit war
  • Some of the actors quit in midshoot over a pay dispute.From the entry midshoot
  • Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray.From the entry fray
  • The bishop discharged his hierarchal duties by arbitrating the dispute.From the entry hierarchal
  • What was the beginning of the dispute?From the entry beginning
  • The usefulness of his latest reorganisation has been disputed.From the entry usefulness
  • They agreed that their old disputes were water under the bridge and decided to make a fresh start.From the entry water under the bridge
  • The theory, though common, was widely disputed.From the entry disputed
  • They disputed the issue loudly and vehemently.From the entry disputed
  • The U.S. civil war can be considered a sectional dispute.From the entry sectional
  • I dispute the workability of the new plan.From the entry workability
  • Many personal unions were ended by differences in the monarchies' rules of dynastic succession, while disputes thereabout lead to dynastic wars.From the entry personal union
  • The administration threatened to impose punitive tariffs of 25% on all steel imports in response to the trade dispute.From the entry punitive tariff
  • Then he asked if anyone wanted to dispute this assertion (he brandishing his revolver the while) and was answered by peaceful snorings.From the entry snoring
  • Our friendly games of ball are unrefereed, which is fine until we have to settle a dispute by screaming at each other.From the entry unrefereed
  • After the past disputes between the two countries, both sides decided to make a fresh start by agreeing to trade with each other again.From the entry fresh start
  • Typologies of African religious movements, the authors remind us, cannot feed Eurocentric dialogues and disputes.2026 May 28, Stefania Palmisano, “The Revelation Spiritual Home: A Sociologist Reads the Book by Introvigne and Šorytė”, in Bitter Winter. From the entry eurocentric
  • What was not disputed was that sometime between 4.02am and 5.43am, the Accused fellated the Complainant.Paragraph 14, Public Prosecutor v Jeffrey Pe ([2023] SGHC 313). From the entry fellate
  • "Ministers cannot continue to sit on their hands, hoping this dispute will go away.2023 March 8, Mel Holley, “TSSA accepts offer, but RMT sets new strike dates”, in RAIL, number 978, page 10. From the entry sit on one's hands
  • That would see the disputes fizzle out into an industrial relations zombie - neither living nor dead.2023 March 8, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Give rail staff a pay vote”, in RAIL, number 978, page 3. From the entry fizzle out
  • The WTO dispute settlement mechanism is characterized by weaknesses such as non-retroactive damages.2020, Anu Bradford, “8. Is the Brussels Effect Beneficial?”, in The Brussels Effect. How the European Union Rules the World, Oxford…. From the entry damages
  • The etymology of the term Japlish is disputed and contentiously so.2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 13. From the entry etymology
  • Domestic disputes are common with this card, as are petty arguments, aggravations, or things spoken in anger.2014, Caitlín Matthews, The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook, →ISBN. From the entry cook up a storm
  • The Philippines, however, does dispute both of these geologic features with China.2014 June, Clarence J. Bouchat, The Paracel Islands and U.S. Interests and Approaches in the South China Sea, Carlisle, PA: United States…. From the entry Macclesfield Bank
  • Nephilims being half-human would resort to deadly conflict to settle a dispute.2014, Frank Morin, The Alien Apocalypse, page 42. From the entry Nephilims
  • MINOR DISPUTES: China has a minor border dispute with Bhutan and the sides have no diplomatic ties.2014 July 10, “A look at China’s territorial claims”, in AP News, sourced from BEIJING (AP), archived from the original on 06 Jul 2025. From the entry Socotra Rock
  • It also has an obscure dispute with South Korea over a submerged rock that both claim.2014 July 10, “A look at China’s territorial claims”, in AP News, sourced from BEIJING (AP), archived from the original on 06 Jul 2025. From the entry Socotra Rock
  • The FCO also disputes Fernández's claim that Britain kicked out the island's original Argentinian inhabitants.2013 January 3, Luke Harding, Uki Goni, The Guardian. From the entry Argentinian
  • State-run China Central Television said Zhou was involved in a neighborhood dispute but did not provide details.2013 August 20, “3 killed in central China bus stabbings”, in AP News, archived from the original on 08 Sep 2022. From the entry Neihuang
  • The Reggie Clemons case has been a cause of legal dispute for the past two decades.2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian. From the entry cut short

Meaning of dispute

  1. noun An argument or disagreement; a failure to agree.
  2. noun A disagreement between parties in a contract, lawsuit, treaty, or other legal matter.
  3. noun Verbal controversy or disagreement; altercation; debate.

Full definition of dispute

Questions about dispute in a sentence

How do you use dispute in a sentence?
Dispute is used as a noun and verb. For example: “Some residents disputed the proposal, saying it was based more on emotion than fact.”
What is a short sentence with dispute?
“to dispute assertions or arguments”
What does dispute mean?
Dispute means an argument or disagreement; a failure to agree.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: dispute (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use dispute in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/dispute. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.