THBT

THBT is an acronym used in debate communities to mean This House Believes That. It serves as a shorthand preface for presenting a motion or proposition in both formal and informal discussions. The phrase signals that the speakers are asserting a belief or normative claim that the House (the debating body) should accept.

The usage of THBT is common in classroom debates, formal tournament briefs, and online debate forums. Debaters typically begin a round or a post with THBT, followed by the specific proposition, such as “THBT the state should provide universal basic income.” The structure implies that the motion is a claim to be supported or defended by the speaking teams, rather than a description of a fact or a policy to be implemented in detail.

THBT is often contrasted with related formats such as THW (This House Would) and THS (This House Supports). THW frames a hypothetical intention or action that the House would undertake, while THBT emphasizes a belief or value judgment about what is true or desirable. In practice, THBT can be used for both policy-oriented and value-oriented topics, and it frequently appears in both educational settings and online debating communities.

While primarily associated with English-language debate traditions, THBT has spread to other contexts where concise debate prompts and structured argumentation are used. It remains a concise, conventional label that helps participants quickly identify the nature of a motion and the stance being defended.