The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - debaten.

1) discussion, argument, dispute, altercation, controversy, wrangle, contention, polemic; argumentation: I refuse to take sides in the debate over social services. 2) deliberation, consideration, (careful) thought, reflection, cogitation, meditation, contemplation: Payment of reparations to the victims of the disaster is a matter for debate. --v. 3) argue, wrangle, dispute, contest, contend; discuss, moot, question: We debated only the most important issues. 4) deliberate, consider, reflect (on) , mull over, ponder (over) , weigh, ruminate (over) , meditate (on or over) , think (over or on) , think through: I have often debated in my own mind the question of capital punishment.