A clear definition can end an argument that examples only kept enlarging.

Trading examples widens a disagreement instead of settling it, because every case invites a counter-case and the ground keeps moving. Very often two people are using one word to mean two things, and each example is being sorted by different criteria without either of them noticing. Pinning the word down can dissolve the whole dispute in a sentence. It can also reveal a real disagreement, which is progress of a different kind.

When an argument keeps growing, stop and ask what each of you means by the central word. Write both versions down if you can. Then see how much is actually left.