in dispute

/ɪn dɪˈspjuːt/

Contested or challenged

The ownership of the property is in dispute between the siblings.

Example of a contested issue (here, property ownership)

Law

formal

A matter or issue that is being contested or challenged, often legally.

The will's validity is in dispute among the heirs.

Legal challenge example

Often implies a legal or formal challenge.

informal

More broadly, any point of disagreement or contention.

Their opinion on the movie is in dispute.

Informal disagreement example

Can be used in non-legal contexts for any disagreement.

Collocations

under disputeBeing currently challenged or contestedout of disputeUncontested or universally agreed upon

To resolve a controversy or disagreement

Ensure 'in dispute' is used appropriately for the context: legal/business for formal, any context for informal.

The subject preceding 'in dispute' dictates verb agreement, e.g., 'The issue in dispute is/are...' depends on the subject.

From Old French 'desputer' (to dispute), influenced by Latin 'disputare' (to discuss, dispute).

Formal use is common in legal and business contexts; informal use applies to any disagreement.

indicating a state or condition

preposition

dispute

a disagreement or contention

noun

English Dictionary