Tra từ argument - Từ điển LongMan Dictionary

ar‧gu‧ment S1 W1 /ˈɑːɡjəmənt, ˈɑːɡjʊmənt $ ˈɑːr-/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: arguable, argumentative; verb: argue; noun: argument; adverb: arguably]
1. [COUNTABLE]
a situation in which two or more people disagree, often angrily
argument with
　 ▪ She had a big argument with her husband.
argument about/over
　 ▪ There have been a lot of arguments about who was responsible for the accident.

2. [COUNTABLE]
a set of reasons that show that something is true or untrue, right or wrong etc:
　 ▪ We need to provide a convincing argument as to why the system should be changed.
argument for/against
　 ▪ a powerful argument against smoking
　 ▪ A good argument can be made for comparing the IT revolution with the invention of writing itself.
argument in favour of
　 ▪ the arguments in favour of banning tobacco advertising
argument that
　 ▪ the familiar argument that the costs outweigh the benefits

3. [UNCOUNTABLE]
when you disagree with something or question whether it is right
do something without (further) argument
　 ▪ Ian accepted the suggestion without argument.
for the sake of argument (=in order to discuss all the possibilities)
　 ▪ If, for the sake of argument, you aren’t offered the job, what will you do?
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
verbs
▪have an argument
　 ▪ I could hear my parents having an argument downstairs.
▪get into an argument/become involved in an argument
　 ▪ She didn’t want to get into another argument about money.
　 ▪ I left to avoid becoming involved in an argument.
▪start/cause an argument
　 ▪ He was deliberately trying to start an argument.
　 ▪ Money often causes arguments.
▪avoid an argument
　 ▪ I was anxious to avoid an argument.
▪win/lose an argument
　 ▪ The party hopes to win the argument about how to reform the health system.
　 ▪ The first one who resorts to violence is usually the one who’s lost the argument.
▪an argument breaks out (=it starts)
　 ▪ The men were drunk and an argument soon broke out.
▪an argument erupts (=a big argument suddenly starts)
　 ▪ A bitter argument erupted between the brothers over who should inherit the money.
adjectives
▪a big/huge/massive argument
　 ▪ There was a big argument about whether we should move to a new house.
▪a heated argument (=involving very strong feelings)
　 ▪ Someone was having a heated argument with a police officer.
▪a bitter argument
　 ▪ There are bitter arguments about whether he was a hero or a war criminal.
▪a furious/fierce argument
　 ▪ As soon as she had gone a furious argument broke out.
▪a violent argument
　 ▪ The singer was hurt in a violent argument with her husband.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪argument a situation in which people speak angrily to each other because they disagree about something :
　 ▪ an argument between two drivers over who had right of way
　 ▪ A 29-year-old man was shot and killed today after an argument over a gambling debt.
▪row British English, fight especially American English a loud angry argument with someone, especially your boyfriend, girlfriend, or someone in your family. Row is also used about a serious disagreement between politicians about important public issues :
　 ▪ There were always fights between my parents.
　 ▪ the continuing row over tax increases
　 ▪ A few months ago they had a big row, and Steve drove off and spent the weekend in London.
▪disagreement a situation in which people disagree with each other, but without shouting or getting angry :
　 ▪ There were the occasional disagreements about money, but mostly we got on well.
　 ▪ Ginny had left the company after a disagreement with her boss.
▪quarrel especially British English an argument, especially one in which people get angry and that lasts a long time. Quarrel sounds more formal and more serious than argument or row :
　 ▪ a bitter family quarrel
▪feud /fjuːd/ a very bitter argument between two groups, especially families, which lasts for many years and causes people to hate each other :
　 ▪ The feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys raged for 20 years.
▪dispute a public or legal argument about something, especially one which continues for a long time :
　 ▪ Morris has been involved in a long legal dispute with his publisher.
　 ▪ The settlement will resolve a long-running dispute over the country’s nuclear program.
▪war/battle of words an argument in which two people or groups criticize each other continuously in public :
　 ▪ The war of words over construction delays at the airport has erupted again.
▪bust-up British English informal a very bad argument, especially one in which people decide to separate from each other :
　 ▪ He had a bust-up with the team manager.
▪shouting match an angry argument in which people shout at each other :
　 ▪ He got into a shouting match with another driver.
▪slanging match British English informal an argument in which people insult each other :
　 ▪ He was sacked after a slanging match with a colleague.
an argument that is not very serious
▪squabble /ˈskwɒbəl $ ˈskwɑː-/ an argument about something that is not important :
　 ▪ There were the usual squabbles between brothers and sisters.
　 ▪ Voters are tired of petty squabbles between party leaders.
▪tiff informal an argument that is not very serious, between people who are in love :
　 ▪ Gary had a bit of a tiff with his girlfriend.
▪misunderstanding a slight argument – a rather formal word which is often used humorously :
　 ▪ There was a slight misunderstanding over the bill, but everything’s been sorted out now.
▪skirmish a short argument, especially between politicians or sports opponents :
　 ▪ Evans and O'Brien had several political skirmishes.

noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bitter debate/argument
▪ The country now faces a bitter debate over the issue.
a central argument (=the main set of reasons for or against something)
▪ Let’s consider the central argument for reducing the voting age.
argument
▪ None of these arguments are valid.
cogent argument/reason/case etc
▪ a cogent argument for banning the drug
counter an argument/an allegation/a criticism etc
▪ He was determined to counter the bribery allegations.
embroiled in...argument
▪ I became embroiled in an argument with the taxi driver.
furious debate/argument etc
▪ There was a furious row over the proposals.
line of argument/reasoning/inquiry etc
▪ It seemed useless to pursue this line of questioning.
▪ Opposition parties soon realized they would have to try a different line of attack.
marshal your thoughts/arguments etc
▪ He paused for a moment as if to marshal his thoughts.
massive argument/row etcBritish English
▪ I had a massive argument with her.
persuasive argument/evidence
▪ a persuasive argument against capital punishment
plank of an argument/policy/campaign etc
▪ the main plank of their argument
▪ a central plank of our policy
powerful reasons/arguments (=reasons that make you think that something must be true)
put forward an argument
▪ He rejected the arguments put forward by the company’s lawyers.
rational argument
▪ Nuclear weapons are so absurd that rational argument about their use is scarcely possible.
room for doubt/debate/argument etc
▪ The evidence was clear, and there was little room for doubt.
settle a dispute/argument/conflict
▪ Every effort was made to settle the dispute, without success.
start a fight/argument
▪ Oh, don’t go trying to start an argument.
sterile argument/debate etc
▪ the increasingly sterile debate on political reform
strand of thought/opinion/argument
▪ Plato draws all the strands of the argument together.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
ADJECTIVE
further
▪ There can be no further arguments about gaps or overlaps.
▪ Your contribution may well resolve some of this difference or create more conflicting points for further argument.
▪ One further argument is used by defenders of the statusquo.
▪ The taxpayers indicated that they wished to present further argument on these points.
▪ Before parting with the case, we should refer to a further argument mounted by Mr. Thornton.
▪ After further argument and discussion, an Act was passed to amend the 1959 Mental Health Act.
▪ She could find no further arguments or resistance.
▪ For journalists, two further arguments are important.
main
▪ The main argument was, of course, the overcrowding of city graveyards, to which we have already referred.
▪ Here are some of the main arguments for and against the private property rights bill.
▪ Let us get back to the main argument.
▪ Seventeen years after his election, the country accepts his main argument: for lower taxes and smaller, fewer Washington-controlled programs.
▪ At the causal level, the main argument concerns theory and experience.
▪ One of the main arguments for Canoa Hills, for example, is that it will create jobs.
▪ The main argument from the Corsican was that they could hold out for ever.
▪ The second is to develop the promotional materials which can assist in conveying the main, general arguments for teaching history.
persuasive
▪ How persuasive is this argument in explaining the development, use, and effects of technology now, in the microelectronics era?
▪ Howard Saddler plays Cassius with steely determination, persuasive in his arguments that initially draw Brutus into the conspiracy.
▪ But Haig had persuasive arguments to support his inflexible resolve.
▪ He took me to such a vastly expensive restaurant and gave such a persuasive argument that I was fairly undone.
▪ We find that a persuasive argument, should we need any further persuasion beyond the plain wording of the Act.
▪ A persuasive argument that democracy can and should be based on active and extensive participation by the citizenry.
▪ The preservationists, pinning their faith to moral superiority and persuasive argument, were beaten back every time.
▪ There is a persuasive argument that it was not.
powerful
▪ There is a powerful argument for saying that, in general, it should be subject to the rules of administrative law.
▪ There is, of course, a powerful educational argument to be made on behalf of more time in school.
▪ One powerful argument attributes this stagnation to the economic structure set in the early 1950s.
▪ Despite these powerful arguments against mutual funds, there are still reasons why it makes sense for ordinary investors to own them.
▪ These were certainly powerful arguments for sending the coach back, but they did not prevail.
▪ But there is a second powerful strategic argument which has propelled nuclear power forward in Britain, as in other countries.
▪ Another more powerful kind of argument goes as follows.
▪ A powerful argument for causation could be the effect of treatment interventions.
similar
▪ There is a similar argument concerning leisure activities, the theatre, for instance.
▪ But it is not immediately obvious how to write a similar argument against the notion of justified belief.
▪ I made a similar argument in chapter 1 about practical support in contemporary society.
▪ By a similar argument, P underestimates the effect.
▪ A similar argument can be made for currency boards, on which Schuler had enthused earlier.
▪ A similar argument holds for any other commodity we try to tax.
▪ Another writer with a similar argument is the eighteenth-century cleric Bishop Butler.
strong
▪ Compared with the strong forces and arguments working the other way all this counted for little.
▪ He produced the strongest arguments why these provinces should not be partitioned.
▪ The first, simplest, and strongest argument was that it was wrong and unnecessary to place eleven-year-olds in separate schools.
▪ It is one of the strongest arguments for theism that it can do that.
▪ There are other very strong arguments for the importance of reading for pupils under the age of 16.
▪ One strong argument for the latter position would be the career of songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
▪ In the original submission the deputy head felt that the impending school closure was a strong argument for receiving the money.
▪ There would seem to be a strong argument, with so many millions of us, only to do it once.
VERB
accept
▪ I do not accept this argument.
▪ Seventeen years after his election, the country accepts his main argument: for lower taxes and smaller, fewer Washington-controlled programs.
▪ Mr. Jones I do not accept that line of argument from the hon. Gentleman.
▪ City Clerk Kathy Detrick says her office is now accepting written arguments on the pro and con sides of the ballot props.
▪ The Employment Appeal Tribunal did not accept that argument.
▪ The court did not accept this argument.
▪ These points are accepted in the current argument.
▪ Archbishop Fisher accepted the argument and became the enthusiastic leader of the new movement.
based
▪ They argued that a new racism based on arguments about cultural difference had largely taken over the arenas of public debate.
▪ All such activity is in the interests of both personal and national safety, but also is based on an economic argument.
▪ It is perfectly acceptable to draw conclusions of your own, based on the arguments and evidence you have presented.
▪ The formal challenge to Lewontin and Huxley must be based on mathematical argument but the general biological points are as follows.
cite
▪ Steele v. Williams and Hooper v. Exeter Corporation were cited in argument, but no reference to them appears in the judgments.
▪ And the license was denied, though not on the grounds we cited, because our argument raised constitutional issues.
▪ No cases are referred to in the judgments or were cited in argument.
▪ He regarded the case as governed by Morgan v. Palmer, 2 B. &038; C. 729, which was cited in argument.
▪ They did, however, cite the arguments of those who did.
close
▪ During one closing argument that summer, Gwinn broke down and cried.
▪ The retrial is now in the defense rebuttal phase, and closing arguments are tentatively set for next week.
▪ She said he spent 3 { days on his closing arguments because he has a weak case.
▪ The two sides will discuss jury instructions with the judge Friday, and will present closing arguments next Tuesday and Wednesday.
▪ Fujisaki will probably rule next week on whether defense lawyers can draw a more sinister inference from the delay during closing arguments.
▪ Testimony ended Wednesday afternoon, and attorneys are to give closing arguments Thursday.
▪ After the defense finishes its closing argument, the plaintiffs will have the opportunity for a brief rebuttal.
▪ But Baker said he and his co-counsel Robert Blasier will pick up those themes when their closing argument resumes Thursday morning.
convince
▪ Are you convinced by my argument?
▪ I have never found this a convincing argument.
▪ Frank was convinced of his arguments and fought bitterly with Tom, another academic, when he mocked the whole system.
▪ The Bears made some convincing arguments Saturday in a 63-37 debacle against Washington State.
▪ But this idea is not available to anybody convinced by the regress argument.
▪ The Labour movement was not, however, convinced by these arguments: rather it continued to oppose family allowances.
▪ Milosevic, however, knows that the reality on the ground is the most convincing argument and he s busy creating it.
▪ We were not convinced by the arguments to the contrary.
hear
▪ The last time that I heard that argument so brazenly presented was by Mr. Neville Chamberlain's spokesman before the war.
▪ We have heard the argument time and again because the benefit is paid to all families, whether rich or poor.
▪ If Simpson is found liable, the jury would then hear arguments on what compensation to award.
▪ I shall be interested to hear any arguments in favour of that proposal, for it would be easy to knock them down.
▪ Judge Walker set Nov. 14 as the date for hearing arguments on a preliminary injunction covering the same subject matter.
▪ Therefore, I can speak of the experience when four hon. Members sit in quasi-judicial godliness hearing the arguments for and against.
▪ The high court will hear arguments in the case later this year.
present
▪ Its campaign against the euro, however, presented xenophobic arguments against further international economic integration.
▪ The two sides will discuss jury instructions with the judge Friday, and will present closing arguments next Tuesday and Wednesday.
▪ Blaug presented his argument with a rather different emphasis.
▪ The black students wanted to present different, additional arguments from those in the Texas brief in favor of affirmative action.
▪ An educated cleric well versed in Shia theology, he presents reasoned arguments for the beliefs of the conservative establishment.
▪ That will come Friday morning, when attorneys for both sides present closing arguments.
▪ Claims for loss of cargo should present some nice legal arguments.
▪ Without preaching, writer-director Tim Robbins presents the arguments of opponents and proponents of the death penalty.
reject
▪ Millett J. rejected this argument too.
▪ The justices, without comment, rejected that argument.
▪ The Federal Court ended the battle by rejecting all arguments presented on his behalf.
▪ Wilson denied him clemency and two judges rejected his arguments.
▪ Why do the Government reject the argument that even a Home Office Bill is capable of improvement?
▪ But a California court rejected the argument, and Kennedy settled.
▪ The judge rejected the argument that publication of the information in an article would be in the public interest.
▪ The state jury rejected arguments that Richard Boeken had freely chosen to smoke.
support
▪ The lawyer advocates formal legal propositions which he supports with reasoned arguments.
▪ At least this one case supports the argument for a flexible policy.
▪ Moreover, anarchists and socialists who offered alternative ways forward had few tangible achievements with which to support their arguments.
▪ Now, to support that argument, we were going public with some very private stories.
▪ Mr. Richards supports the argument of counsel for Madame Bihi on this question.
▪ Hastings said he would approve the trip unless the defense attorneys could cite legal precedents supporting their argument.
▪ It does not support the abolitionist argument.
▪ There is not the slightest scientific evidence to support such arguments.
use
▪ He didn't want Gina using those arguments next time he told her how much better he could have done for himself.
▪ A key ingredient of this proof was to represent the complex numbers geometrically, and then to use a topological argument.
▪ Anybody who was in a concentration camp as a guard could use that argument.
▪ The bigwigs attempt to persuade him, using a variety of arguments, that he is making the mistake of his life.
▪ Technically sweet and politically acceptable, it avoids accusation of moral hypocrisy by using economic arguments to appeal to self interest.
▪ And they are not used as arguments to deny the national unity of each of the countries concerned.
▪ There is an obvious weakness in this attempt to use an argument from experience to justify all arguments from experience.
▪ In some ways, she might be justified in using that argument.
win
▪ Unlike Locke, it does not possess the assurance of having won the argument on that ground.
▪ Invariably, marketing people are more senior, and win the argument.
▪ This time he managed to win the argument, but it was no bargain.
▪ You can, too, win a straight argument with them if you have a sound case.
▪ But, though we have won the argument, we are losing the war.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be spoiling for a fight/argument
▪ Be that as it may, Cooper was spoiling for a fight, as this unpublished letter shows.
circular argument/logic/reasoning
▪ Clearly the more elaborate the dress, the more dress-fasteners required, although there is here the danger of a circular argument.
▪ Failure to recognize this leads to circular arguments.
▪ Pupils can often fall back on a circular argument such as: Why is the relationship linear?
▪ The Court refused to allow itself to be caught in a circular argument as to which State needed to waive immunity first.
▪ The irony in all this is the circular logic of what appears to be the new strategic competition.
▪ This appears to be a circular argument, typical of closed-belief systems.
▪ We start by talking about a problem of circular reasoning to motivate the diagram.
compelling reason/argument/case etc
▪ Barring a compelling reason, governments should not discriminate between classes of citizens.
▪ But there are a number of compelling reasons to stand in line.
▪ But, in any event, there is no compelling reason to justify section 9.
▪ He was energetic, headstrong, and unorthodox-and he had compelling reasons for reducing the ruinously expensive Soviet nuclear arsenal.
▪ However, it is necessary to say a word or two here to refute this seemingly compelling argument.
▪ In the high-visibility, emotionally compelling cases such as maternity stays, an uproar resulted.
▪ The record is good but there is no compelling reason to buy.
▪ Unless there are other compelling reasons, therefore, never borrow money yourself to obtain funds needed by your corporation.
confuse the issue/matter/argument etc
▪ His reply was inpart denial of the criticisms, and inpart an attempt to change the issue or confuse the matter.
▪ Making comparisons between brains is a very risky business because there are confounding variables to confuse the issue.
▪ Perceptions, such as hers, distort the truth and confuse the issue.
▪ The Catholic arguments confuse the issue, but this time, for all the wrong reasons, the Pope is infallible.
▪ The politicians, on the lookout for arguments to extend their authoritarianism, jumped at this opportunity to confuse the issue.
▪ This attempt to confuse the issue went unanswered, and Santa Anna continued his preparations to advance on the capital.
▪ This will only serve to confuse the issue.
for the sake of argument
▪ Let's say for the sake of argument it was the scullery window.
▪ Let us assume for the sake of argument that Inevitable is correct.
▪ Let us assume for the sake of argument that you are not Joan Crawford.
▪ Let us say for the sake of argument that it is five different partners on the same night.
▪ Suppose, for the sake of argument, man, the true perpetrators of this crime are our enemies.
▪ This already poses problems, but let us say, for the sake of argument, that it is equivalent to place.
heated argument/debate/discussion etc
▪ After a short heated argument, the inspector agreed to pay the costs in cash from his local station funds.
▪ After fifteen months of heated debate, Billingham was abandoned.
▪ It got off to a hairy start with several heated discussions about what a wild boar is.
▪ No presidential policy is so controversial that it provokes heated debate.
▪ Since 1980, a balanced-budget amendment has been the focus of heated debate in congressional committees and on the floor.
▪ There was heated argument at the meeting, with strongly differing views advanced.
▪ There was a heated argument between the two men which at length it fell to Branson to settle.
▪ Witnesses have already given descriptions of the pair who were seen having what appeared to be a heated argument.
punch holes in sb's argument/idea/plans etc
pursue the matter/argument/question etc
▪ Anxious to avoid further difficulty, Harriet did not pursue the matter.
▪ I regret that they were unable to pursue the matter any further.
▪ If you feel upset by an apparent unfairness, pursue the matter through the grievance procedure.
▪ It is capable of extension, but we shall not pursue the matter here.
▪ She wouldn't put it past him but in the brilliant afternoon heat she wasn't inclined to pursue the matter.
▪ There was no need to pursue the matter any further prior to arrest.
put up a proposal/argument/case etc
▪ In other days Managers would have put up an argument as to the folly of this approach by Management.
the nub of the problem/matter/argument etc
▪ Even so, some brain cells were still working, as I stared inwardly at the nub of the problem.
▪ It sounds perfectly reasonable, but you will perceive that here is the nub of the matter.
▪ This is the nub of the matter.
▪ This, however, was the nub of the problem.
threadbare excuse/argument/joke etc
valid reason/argument/criticism etc
▪ A 1977 Supreme Court ruling permits police stopping a car for valid reasons to order drivers to exit.
▪ A second and equally valid argument is that the publishing world is an invaluable source of knowledge.
▪ Accepting criticism Accepting valid criticism is also part of this group of assertive actions.
▪ But a complete justification of authority has to do more than to provide valid reasons for its acceptance.
▪ But neither do we have to be defensive if they occasionally have a valid criticism.
▪ But there are also valid reasons for optimism.
▪ No serious thinker can make a valid argument that to discriminate based on species is acceptable.
▪ Povert drudgery and loneliness are valid reasons for sadness; beyond and beneath, far outreaching them all, is unrequited love.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A 29-year-old man was shot and killed today after an argument over a gambling debt.
▪ Do you agree with the argument that violence on TV makes people behave violently?
▪ I'm sorry I'm not in a good mood. I had an argument with my husband this morning.
▪ My sister and I had a terrible argument last night.
▪ Phil got into an argument with a guy at the bar.
▪ Rose presented a good argument.
▪ The main argument against smoking is that it's bad for your health.
▪ What are the arguments for the legalization of cannabis?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ In his mind Cameron continued the argument throughout the meal.
▪ It is not clear how much of the argument is really about policy, and how much about personality.
▪ Just stick to your argument that the dealer said you'd make a certain profit.
▪ Learn to study footnotes for further information and as clues to the scholarship and plausibility of the historian's arguments.
▪ Testimony ended Wednesday afternoon, and attorneys are to give closing arguments Thursday.
▪ This provides an important argument for the lead causes-hyperactivity hypothesis.
▪ We can regard the statistical argument about numbers of planets as an argument of last resort.