as in conversation
talking or a talk between two or more people
Thomas Jefferson is said to have been able to participate in knowledgeable discourse on a breathtaking array of subjects
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to lecture
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
the guest lecturer discoursed at some length on the long-term results of the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to speak
to talk as if giving an important and formal speech
grandly discoursed as though he were an expert on every subject
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discourse
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
The inter-fandom discourse goes beyond just shipping; cast members leaving, Wyle’s comments to the press and on-screen plotlines are all subject to heated debates.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2025
Admissions officers want to see that students will contribute meaningfully to discourse on campus.
—Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Noun
But [the discourse] got caught up in whether or not a priest would ever lie on the stand.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Apr. 2026
The inter-fandom discourse goes beyond just shipping; cast members leaving, Wyle’s comments to the press and on-screen plotlines are all subject to heated debates.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
The cycle can become so accidentally ubiquitous that the former kids who blissfully existed outside of whatever discourses these trends or bands started in their heyday wonder now, as adults, what was so bad about them in the first place.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2025
Admissions officers want to see that students will contribute meaningfully to discourse on campus.
—Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourse
Noun
-
Our conversation has been edited and condensed.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Quick-thinking in your 1st House of Identity, squares expansive Jupiter in your 4th House of Home, pushing conversations around personal plans and family expectations.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Steve Kerr's new New Yorker interview sounds a lot less like a man eager to lecture Americans and a lot more like a man trying to clean up a mess he's spent years making.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
At Yale, where Garber began her career, Jacques Derrida was a frequent visitor, and Paul de Man might be found down the corridor solemnly lecturing on Nietzsche.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stanton, expected to speak on Saturday, was still receiving treatment after Friday’s game.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Ash Afanan, an analyst in LAHSA’s system and planning department who spoke in a personal capacity, said Friday staff are experiencing widespread fear following the layoff announcement.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sullivan said the discussion for drafting a quarterback came up several times among their 13 picks from Thursday through Saturday, but the other option always won out in every instance.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Failing to win promotion in 2023-24, with such a significant wage budget, was a major disappointment for Leeds and Farke survived serious discussions at the top of the club about his potential sacking.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But past royal visits to Washington have sometimes gone awry − from amorous muskrats to a talking hat.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Before talking to the group, McFadden asked them to take a few minutes to interact.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While American pundits wrote haranguing op-eds warning that the breaking of diplomatic precedent would prompt China to escalate war, ordinary people in Taiwan celebrated.—
Michelle Kuo,
The Dial,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Most presidents have treated it as a chance to note their accomplishments, to harangue Congress into supporting their priorities, and to speak to the American people.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Inside this building, generations of artists a century apart converse about similarly distressing and awe-inducing encounters between us and our technological creations.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
19 Mar. 2026
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The two converse as if Janet is a hostage on a permanent Zoom call, always sitting in the same room, in the same clothes, talking to the same nonexistent camera.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More often, though, Tallent demonstrates his characters’ precarity rather than declaiming about it.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Providence doesn’t give you a Latin teacher for a mother without consequence: Samy declaimed classical locutions with scandalous ease.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discourse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourse. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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