argument vs debate

argument

noun
  • A process of reasoning; argumentation. 

  • An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figuratively) the contents themselves. 

  • Any dispute, altercation, or collision. 

  • The independent variable of a function. 

  • A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function. 

  • A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter. 

  • Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause. 

  • A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason. 

  • The phase of a complex number. 

  • A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends. 

  • A verbal dispute; a quarrel. 

  • A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises. 

debate

noun
  • An argument, or discussion, usually in an ordered or formal setting, often with more than two people, generally ending with a vote or other decision. 

  • An informal and spirited but generally civil discussion of opposing views. 

  • A type of literary composition, taking the form of a discussion or disputation, commonly found in the vernacular medieval poetry of many European countries, as well as in medieval Latin. 

  • Discussion of opposing views. 

verb
  • To consider (to oneself), to think over, to attempt to decide 

  • To participate in a debate; to dispute, argue, especially in a public arena. 

How often have the words argument and debate occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )