debate _noun 

ADJECTIVES

heated, fierce, impassioned
・There has been a fierce debate over the reasons for the war.

lively 
・The conference produced some lively debate.

intense 
・Nuclear power has been the subject of intense debate.

considerable, great 
・There has been considerable debate about the best way to pay for university education.

wider 
・The issue of an ageing population should be part of a wider debate about health care.

public 
・He called for a public debate on racism in society.

national 
・It is time to start a national debate on the future of education.

political 
・There was much political debate on pensions reform.

long-running 
・His comments are part of a long-running debate about religious freedom.

ongoing 
・There is an ongoing debate about the benefits of nuclear power.

endless 
・The newspapers are continuing the endless debate over the future of the royal family.

open, honest 
・What we need is an open debate on voting reform.

genuine, proper 
・There has been a lack of genuine debate about immigration.

parliamentary 
・The vote followed several months of parliamentary debate.

televised 
・It was the first televised debate between party leaders.

VERBS 

have 
・I think we should have a proper debate about population growth.

get into 
・I don’t want to get into a debate about the details of the plan.

be drawn into, be dragged into 
・The president’s wife refused to be drawn into the debate.

provoke, spark, trigger, stimulate, fuel
・The episode provoked fierce debate about freedom of speech.

stifle 
・He was accused of trying to stifle debate about the war.

reignite, reopen 
・Her comments have reignited the debate over politicians’ pay.

shape, influence 
・You can help shape the debate on the future of our cities.

DEBATE + VERB
centre on
・The debate centred on the question of whether he was responsible for his actions.

rage
・A national debate is now raging over the level of youth crime.

continue
・The debate continues over whether the government should send more troops to the region.

PREPOSITIONS

on, about, over 
・There continues to be much debate about the safety of the nuclear industry.

between 
・There is likely to be fierce debate between the main parties on this issue.

among 
・The minister’s comments are likely to fuel the debate among teachers.

within 
・There has been lively debate within the Church over the bishop’s comments.

PHRASES

be the subject of debate/be a matter of debate
・Teaching methods have long been the subject of debate.
・The effectiveness of the government’s policy has been a matter of fierce debate.

sth is a matter for debate
・The future of the police force is a matter for public debate.

be open to debate 
・The precise cause of the problem is open to debate.

there is debate as to sth
・There is some debate as to the exact number of people killed.

debate surrounding/concerning sth
・There is considerable debate surrounding the manager’s decision to resign.