What is the difference with a debate and an argument?

Answer 1

Debate: noun 1. a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints: a debate in the Senate on farm price supports. 2. a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers. 3. deliberation; consideration. 4. Archaic. strife; contention. -verb (used without object) 5. to engage in argument or discussion, as in a legislative or public assembly: When we left, the men were still debating. 6. to participate in a formal debate. 7. to deliberate; consider: I debated with myself whether to tell them the truth or not. 8. Obsolete. to fight; quarrel.

-verb (used with object) 9. to argue or discuss (a question, issue, or the like), as in a legislative or public assembly: They debated the matter of free will. 10. to dispute or disagree about: The homeowners debated the value of a road on the island. 11. to engage in formal argumentation or disputation with (another person, group, etc.): Jones will debate Smith. Harvard will debate Princeton. 12. to deliberate upon; consider: He debated his decision in the matter. 13. Archaic. to contend for or over. Argument: noun 1. an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation: a violent argument. 2. a discussion involving differing points of view; debate: They were deeply involved in an argument about inflation. 3. a process of reasoning; series of reasons: I couldn't follow his argument. 4. a statement, reason, or fact for or against a point: This is a strong argument in favor of her theory. 5. an address or composition intended to convince or persuade; persuasive discourse. 6. subject matter; theme: The central argument of his paper was presented clearly. 7. an abstract or summary of the major points in a work of prose or poetry, or of sections of such a work. 8. Mathematics. a. an independent variable of a function. b. Also called amplitude. the angle made by a given vector with the reference axis. c. the angle corresponding to a point representing a given complex number in polar coordinates. Compare principal argument. 9. Computers. a variable in a program, to which a value will be assigned when the program is run: often given in parentheses following a function name and used to calculate the function. 10. Obsolete. a. evidence or proof. b. a matter of contention. Answer: Not much. (thanks to http://dictionary.reference.com/ for the definitons).