A talk is שיחה. A discussion is דיון. An argument is ויכוח. What about a debate? That’s עימות, as in:
כל המדינה צפתה בעימות.
The whole country watched the debate.
עימות also means confrontation. It comes from the התפעל verb להתעמת – to confront, as in:
היא עזרה לו להתעמת עם הפחדים שלו ולהתגבר עליהם.
She helped him confront his fears and overcome them.
להתעמת and עימות are related to לעומת – “opposite” or “as opposed to”. They are also related to עמית – colleague or friend, which is someone we work alongside or opposite.
