Getting started in debate can feel like learning a whole new language. From “constructives” to “cross-examinations,” the world of debate is filled with specialized vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to new debaters. Having a strong grasp of these terms is essential for understanding class concepts and ultimately applying them at tournaments. In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of the top 100 debate terms that every new debater should know. Whether you’re just starting out or need a quick refresher, these definitions will help you navigate debates with confidence and speak the language of competitive debate. Let’s dive in and start building your debate vocabulary!

Argument
Your point; the idea you’re supporting; the belief that you are speaking in favor of.

Audience
The people listening to a speaker; the most important element of a speech. The audience in a round of debate is the judge. In debate, speakers direct all speeches to the judge.

Ballot
A form used to vote for something; in Speech and Debate, the judges write their ranks, scores and decisions on ballots; the important part of ballots is the pattern of comment – one judge’s opinion may not be helpful, but multiple judges giving similar feedback should be paid attention to.

Block
A debate term used to describe a counter-argument that is planned before the round/tournament.

Blocking
A speech term used to describe the physical actions/movements planned when performing a piece.

Break
Advancing past the preliminary rounds in a Speech and Debate tournament to the elimination rounds.

Bye
In a debate tournament, when there is an odd number of total teams, 1 team has to sit out each round and not participate. This is called a “bye” or “bye round.” It counts as a win for your team in your record for the day.

Cards
“Cards” refer to quotations from sources that you have cut and paste into a list of evidence that you use during rounds. The reason they are called “cards” is because before computers, debaters would make copies of newspaper articles and then literally cut and paste the relevant passages onto index cards. They were put on index cards to make them easy to carry, find, and access during a tournament.

Case
A debater’s constructive speeches plus all the supporting evidence and back-up arguments for your Pro or Con side. Sometimes when people say “case,” they specifically mean the constructive. But when someone says “present your case” they mean for you to give a speech that represents all the arguments and evidence you have. In a court case in real life, that speech is called an “opening argument.” In reality, your “case” is not just your opening speech, but all the material you’ve gathered to prove your side.

Citation/Cite
Stating your source for information; either written in an essay or spoken in a speech.

Clash
Arguments that directly oppose each other in a debate round. When you and your opponent directly respond to each others’ arguments, it helps the judge to see who is a better debater.

Collapse
When you reduce the amount of arguments you discuss as the round gets closer to the end; the purpose of collapsing your arguments is to focus your time on the ones you think you are winning.

Communication
Another word for talking, either with your body or with words or with machines.

Con Team (a.k.a. Negative Team)
The side in a debate that is against the resolution; this side often says they “negate” the resolution.

Constructive
The first prepared speeches in a debate; “The constructive is where you build your contentions”; in Public
Forum each constructive is 4 minutes.

Contention
Another word for a debate argument. Made up of 5 parts: Claim sentence, Warrant, Evidence, Impact, Link. Usually about 250 – 500 words long, depending on a speakers speed.

Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the suspension of judgment while identifying biases and underlying assumptions in order to draw accurate conclusions. This is the essence of debate.

Cross-Apply
To take an argument or piece of evidence made on one issue and use it to answer another argument.

Crossfire
A time period, in between speeches, where both sides ask each other questions about their advocacy and arguments. These questions can be to receive clarification or to attack the opponent. The defining feature of crossfire is that both sides are asking and answering questions.

Crystallize
To explain your argument in the simplest way possible.

Debate
A formal conversation where people discuss the different sides of a topic. A debate is different from an argument in that a debate has a format and rules that are followed by everyone involved – while an argument has no formal rules and often lacks structure.

Debate Claim
Your argument in one sentence. Also called an “assertion”.

Defense/Defensive Arguments
Arguments where you say how your opponent is wrong. Defensive arguments are reasons to reject your opponents’ advocacy. Defense gives the judge a reason not to vote for your opponent.

De-link
When you say that an opponent’s contention isn’t internally connected. Like saying that their claim doesn’t lead to their warrant, or that their impact isn’t proven by their evidence. Or saying that their contention doesn’t prove/disprove the resolution.

Drop or Drop an argument
When a debater fails to respond to one or more of their opponent’s arguments.

Elimination Round
Also called “break rounds” or “out rounds;” a round in a Speech and Debate tournament that occurs after the lower-ranking players have been eliminated from the competition based on their scores in preliminary rounds.

A “Final round” has 2 debate teams or 6 speech competitors
“Semifinals” have 2 rounds with 4 debate teams or 12 speech competitors
“Quarterfinals” have 4 rounds with 8 debate teams or 24 speech competitors
“Octafinals” have 8 rounds with 16 debate teams or 48 speech competitors
“Double Octofinals” have 16 rounds with 32 debate teams or 64 speech competitors
“Triple Octafinals” have 32 rounds with 64 debate teams or 128 speech competitors
“Runoff” rounds are rounds between people who have tied in the preliminary rounds; the winner goes on to the elimination rounds

Empirical Evidence
Factual information discovered through the process of experimenting and observing through methods that can be measured or categorized.

Evidence
The news sources and data that support your arguments; from the Latin for “obvious to the eye”.

Feedback
Spoken and written responses to a speech by the audience or judge, often sharing insight or suggestions for future performances.

Filler Words
Sounds like “uh” or “um” that people make when they’re thinking of what to say next.

Final Focus
The last speech in a round of Public Forum debate; 2 minutes; the main purpose is to tell the judge why you have won the debate.

First Speaker
The person on a 2-person Public Forum team who delivers the Constructive and the Summary.

Flow
The notes a debater takes during a debate.

Framing/Frame/Framework
When you explain to the judge the standards they should use to judge the debate. Example: “Judge, all we on the Con side have to do is prove that zoos are either harmful to humans or animals and we win.”

Frontline (verb)
When you fight the arguments your opponents have made against your main contentions (in their Rebuttal). The Summary is a great time to make sure you frontline. If the First Speaker frontlines in the Summary, the First Speaker will have had time to think and plan against what the opponent said in their Rebuttal.

Gestures
Movements you make with your hands to support your verbal communication.

Impact
The part of an argument where you explain how people are affected by your claim; a “terminal impact” is the worst case scenario of an impact, usually harming many on a large scale.

Impact Calculus
A term for comparing your team’s impacts against your opponents.

Impromptu Delivery
Giving a speech without preparation; the Rebuttal, Summary and Final Focus are impromptu speeches that you make up during the round.

Invitational
A Speech and Debate tournament where any school is allowed to attend. Originally, these were called “invitationals” because a school had to be invited to come. Now, most tournaments “invite” anyone who asks to come.

Judge
A person who decides the winner in a public speaking contest; a “flow judge” is a judge who takes notes on the debate and determines who wins based on which side refuted the highest number of their opponent’s arguments; a “tech judge” is a judge who understands advanced debate jargon; a “lay judge” is a judge who has never debated before or coached a team – most judges are lay judges.

Kritik (pronounced “krih TEEK”)
An off-case argument about the assumptions made by the affirmative and how an alternative can resolve the implications of those assumptions.

Link
The part of a contention where you explain how your claim supports the resolution.

Link Chain/Argument Chain
A debate term for how each part of your argument connects to the next.

Magnitude
How severe the impact is; the size of the harm/benefit.

Manuscript Delivery
Giving a prepared speech using a script that has all the words you plan to say; when you deliver a constructive speech, you are doing a manuscript delivery.

Maverick
“Going maverick” is when a Public Forum debater debates without a partner, usually because their partner canceled at the last minute. Sometimes tournaments don’t allow this, and if your partner doesn’t show up, you’re disqualified from the tournament instead.

Misinformation/Disinformation
Misinformation is any wrong information that is communicated to a group, either on purpose or on accident. Disinformation is when the wrong information is communicated on purpose by lying or deceiving intentionally. Mis-information could be a mis-take. Dis-information is dis-respectful.

Mitigate
To make less severe, serious, or painful; when you do this to an opponent’s argument by refuting it well.

National Speech and Debate Association (N.S.D.A.)
The organization that makes the rules for Speech and Debate tournaments in the United States; the NSDA also makes up the topics for debate events; the NSDA is made up of coaches and students who are on high school teams. For the monthly debate topics, there are committees of the NSDA that decide the general topics, then the student and coach members vote on which resolutions they want.

NSDA Campus
A website for hosting online tournaments.

Negotiate
To deal or bargain with others, as in a contract.

Non-verbal Communication
Talking with messages from your body, like gestures, movement, tone of voice, facial expressions.

Novice
Someone in their first year of doing Speech and Debate tournaments; someone who is new to something.

Offense/Offensive Arguments
Arguments where you say that your side is right. Offensive arguments are a reason to support your own side’s advocacy. Offense gives the judge a reason to vote for your side.

Opponent
A person on the opposite side of you in a debate.

Pairings
In a tournament, the list of pairs of teams competing against each other in a round.

Paradigm
A judge’s preferences for how competitors should speak; usually written on Tabroom.com.

Persuasive Speech
A speech where you try to convince the audience of something; all debate speeches are persuasive speeches.

Preliminary Round
Also called “prelims;” a round in which all the competitors in a tournament get to compete.

Prep Time
Preparation time; time used to prepare impromptu speeches during a debate.

Pro Team (a.k.a. Affirmative Team)
The side in a debate that agrees with the resolution; this team often says they “affirm” the resolution.

Public Speaking
Giving a speech in front of an audience; all Speech and Debate events are examples of public speaking.

Rebuttal
A speech refuting an opposing speaker in a debate; the verb is “to rebut”; in PF, the main purpose of the rebuttal is to refute what your opponent said in their constructive.

Rehearse/Rehearsal
To practice something spoken, like a speech or play.

Relevant
Closely connected or appropriate to the audience of a speech; important to the audience.

Representative
A person who speaks or acts for a group or community.

Research
Finding information by looking at data that’s already been collected. Primary research means collecting information for the first time by doing something like an interview or a survey. Secondary research means collecting information that has already been collected, by going to the library or reading an online article

Resolution
The thesis statement of a debate; also known as the motion, proposal, proposition; in the real world of politics, a resolution is legislation that expresses a conviction, or value belief of an assembly, which may urge, request, or suggest further action by another decision-making authority. A resolution is usually written in this form: “We are resolved that [this or that should happen]” or “Resolved: [this or that should happen].”

Resolve
verb: to decide to do something; “We resolve to fix the problem.”
noun: determination; willingness; “We have the resolve to fix the problem.”

Round
The part of a contest where you compete; you compete in a round, take a break, then have another round; in a Speech and Debate tournament, you usually do 3 to 6 rounds in one day, meaning that you debate or deliver your speech 3 to 6 times in one day. In a round of Debate, 2 teams do all of their speeches, then the judge decides who won, based on the arguments

Schematics
The list of rooms, competitors and judges for a round.

Scope
Who or what is affected by an impact.

Second Speaker
The person on a 2-person public forum team who delivers the Rebuttal and the Final Focus.

Signpost
Using phrases and words to guide the judge through the content of your speech; telling the judge what you’re doing as you do it; examples: “In conclusion…” “There are 3 reasons why we won this debate…” “We affirm that…”.

Source
Where you found your data; usually in the form of a news article, research study or government report.

Spread
A mixture of the term “speed read”; to speak very quickly.

Turn
When you twist your opponents’ argument into supporting your side.

Voter
An argument for your side that you think is winning the debate; also known as “voting issue”.

Warrant
Part of a contention; the reason your claim sentence is true.