Practice
Bone of contention: meaning and use in English
Sign in to saveTwo neighbors agree that the building needs repairs, but they argue about who should pay. The cost is the bone of contention. No one is arguing about a real bone. They disagree about one issue that is preventing agreement.
Understand bone of contention as a disputed issue, use it in a suitable context, and choose a direct alternative when the audience needs exact wording.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
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a bone of contention /ə bəʊn əv kənˈten.ʃən/
The short answer
Use bone of contention for one issue that people continue to disagree about. It often follows be or become: The proposed fee became a bone of contention. Use a direct phrase such as disputed issue when you need to name the disagreement clearly and without an idiom.
The proposed late-night delivery schedule became a bone of contention between residents and restaurant owners.
Why it works: The schedule is the issue causing disagreement. The phrase does not describe an object that either group owns.
5 more examples
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Funding for the community library remained a bone of contention in the council discussion.
Council members continued to disagree about the library's funding.
Not this:The council
approved the library budgetafter a short discussion. What changes: Approval shows that the issue was settled rather than disputed. -
The team agreed on its goals, but ownership of the customer data was a bone of contention.
The team agrees about one part of the project but disputes who should control the data.
Not this:The team
wrote down who would managethe customer data before the project began. What changes: A clear decision can prevent the issue from becoming a dispute. -
Whether staff could work remotely was a bone of contention during the contract talks.
The right to work remotely was one disputed point in the talks.
Not this:The new contract
allows staff to work remotelytwo days a week. What changes: The contract gives a settled rule instead of describing a disagreement. -
The final rehearsal time became a bone of contention among the performers.
The performers had different views about when the rehearsal should happen.
Not this:The performers chose a rehearsal time that
everyone could attend. What changes: This sentence shows a shared decision, not a continuing argument. -
The exact date of the move was a bone of contention for the two departments.
The departments disagree about one specific date.
Not this:Both departments
confirmed the move datein writing. What changes: Written confirmation indicates that the date is no longer under dispute.
Read the full guide
Look for an issue, then look for the people who hold different views about it. A bone of contention is usually not the entire relationship or negotiation. It is the particular question that people cannot settle, such as a cost, date, rule, or responsibility. Replace the phrase with point of disagreement to check the meaning.
Find the issue that causes disagreement
A bone of contention is an issue, not a person. Read the sentence for the thing people disagree about and the groups involved. The issue may be a price, rule, date, or responsibility. If you can replace the phrase with point of disagreement, you have probably understood it.
The proposed late-night delivery schedule became a bone of contention between residents and restaurant owners.
The delivery schedule was the point of disagreement between the two groups gives the same basic meaning.
In this example, what is the bone of contention: the residents, the restaurant owners, or the delivery schedule?
The delivery schedule. It is the issue that causes disagreement between the groups.
Use it for a specific disputed point
The phrase often identifies one difficult point inside a larger discussion. People may agree about the general goal while disagreeing about money, timing, or responsibility. This makes bone of contention useful when you want to show that a disagreement has a clear focus.
The team agreed on its goals, but ownership of the customer data was a bone of contention.
The team disagreed about who should control the customer data states the issue directly.
Can a group have a bone of contention even when it agrees about other parts of a plan?
Yes. The expression can name one unresolved issue within a discussion where people agree about other matters.
Notice the grammar around the phrase
Bone of contention commonly follows be, become, remain, or prove. The subject is the disputed issue: Funding was a bone of contention. A proposal can become a bone of contention when people begin to argue about it. Use the article a before the singular phrase.
Funding for the community library remained a bone of contention in the council discussion.
Funding for the library caused continuing disagreement uses a plain verb phrase.
Do not call a person a bone of contention when you mean that people disagree about that person. Name the issue or say that the person's role is disputed.
Choose a register that fits the situation
Bone of contention works in neutral reporting, a meeting summary, or a serious conversation. It can sound slightly formal or literary in a quick message to a colleague. When speed and clarity matter, write the exact issue instead. This is especially useful in instructions, complaints, contracts, and records of a disagreement.
Whether staff could work remotely was a bone of contention during the contract talks.
The parties disagreed about remote-work rights gives a direct description for a formal note.
Which is clearer in a formal meeting record: bone of contention or a sentence that names the disputed policy?
A sentence that names the disputed policy is usually clearer because it gives the reader the detail they need.
Do not confuse disagreement with physical conflict
The idiom is figurative. It does not mean that people are fighting over an actual object or that a physical argument happened. It tells you that opinions or interests conflict. Context should show what each side wants, although the phrase alone does not give every detail.
The final rehearsal time became a bone of contention among the performers.
The performers had different views about the rehearsal time explains the figurative meaning.
Does bone of contention mean that the performers had a physical fight?
No. It means that the rehearsal time caused disagreement among them.
Describe the disagreement clearly when needed
An idiom can make a sentence concise, but it can leave out useful information. If someone needs to solve the disagreement, say what each side proposes and what decision is needed. You can use bone of contention in an overview, then add the direct facts in the next sentence.
The exact date of the move was a bone of contention for the two departments.
One department wanted to move in May, while the other needed a June date gives the missing detail.
What should you add after using the idiom in a report about an unresolved dispute?
Add the exact issue, each side's position if relevant, and the decision or next step that is needed.
Before you go
Remember this
A bone of contention is one issue that people disagree about. Use it for a disputed cost, date, rule, responsibility, or plan. It fits neutral and fairly formal discussion, but point of disagreement or a full direct explanation can be clearer when the reader needs precise information.
Practice with the written examples
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Bone of contention: meaning and use in English"
What does bone of contention mean?
Bone of contention means an issue that causes disagreement between people or groups. It often names one specific problem in a wider discussion, such as a cost, date, rule, or responsibility. The phrase is figurative and does not refer to a physical object.
The proposed late-night delivery schedule became a bone of contention between residents and restaurant owners.
How do you use bone of contention in a sentence?
Use bone of contention with the disputed issue as the subject. You can say that a proposal became a bone of contention or that funding remained a bone of contention. The phrase usually follows be, become, remain, or prove to be.
Residents and restaurant owners agreed to test the new delivery schedule for one month.
Is bone of contention formal or informal?
Bone of contention is suitable for neutral and fairly formal English, including news reports, essays, and meeting discussions. It can sound slightly literary in a brief everyday message. A direct phrase such as disputed issue may be clearer when the reader needs exact wording.
Funding for the community library remained a bone of contention in the council discussion.
Can a person be a bone of contention?
The phrase normally refers to the issue people disagree about, rather than a person. If people disagree about someone's role, say that the role or appointment is disputed. Naming the exact point of disagreement makes the sentence clearer and more accurate.
The council approved the library budget after a short discussion.
What can I say instead of bone of contention?
You can say point of disagreement, disputed issue, unresolved question, or source of disagreement. Choose a direct alternative for a contract, complaint, instruction, or report when readers need the precise problem and the positions involved.
The team agreed on its goals, but ownership of the customer data was a bone of contention.