to spark a debate
1
3.7
- phrasal verb
:
desencadenar un debate
- Pluto's discovery sparked a debate among astronomers from the outset.
Examples
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The increase in insider research has sparked a debate about its scholarly validity.
Academic text (2009) -
Her article challenging the status quo could spark a debate on social media that many people will join.
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Several times before, this has sparked a debate about the nature of morality.
Blog text (21) -
Plus, not to spark a debate on it, but I won't have to pay $60 every year to play online.
Blog text (32) -
These comments sparked a debate on the podcast, even resulting in the use of a moderator to help settle the debate.
Blog text (34) -
At a conference I recently attended, two separate topics related to templates sparked a debate off-stage about Logic vs. No-logic View Templates.
Blog text (10) -
The controversial proposal will spark a debate among community leaders about its impact.
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The new policy changes are likely to spark a debate in the upcoming city council meeting.
Synonyms
115
3.7
Cause a reaction or feeling
8
8.0
To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue
6
4.0
Make people feel excited or upset and attract attention
2
3.7
To make people start talking and disagree about a topic
1
5.4
Cause strong arguments about a topic, often on public issues
To cause a lot of trouble and anger among people
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to cause a discussion' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'spark' (to provoke or trigger) with 'debate' (a discussion). The metaphorical use of 'spark' to mean 'initiate' is common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase spark a debate comes from the image of a tiny spark lighting a large fire. A small comment can start a heated debate, so the phrase means 'to cause a discussion or argument to begin'.