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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discourse
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
Now Jay Leno, who inherited The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson, has a theory about why that’s happened and the current state of chat-show discourse.
—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2026
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
From the whitewashing controversy to the toxic love to the daring costumes, the discourse is going to be discoursing.
—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Noun
Instead too many accept as a given of public discourse that our elections are suspect and an embarrassment to the world.
—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
Now Jay Leno, who inherited The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson, has a theory about why that’s happened and the current state of chat-show discourse.
—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2026
Verb
This lucidity not only makes his work readable but also staves off the perception that discourse about UFOs and the CIA must be riddled with conspiratorial paranoia.
—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
From the whitewashing controversy to the toxic love to the daring costumes, the discourse is going to be discoursing.
—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourse
Noun
-
January 20 – February 18 By afternoon, conversation sparks playful ideas.
-
But Roberts finds moments to pull players aside for one-on-one conversations.
Verb
-
Some commentators in the United States have taken the opportunity to lecture Europeans, and perhaps even indulge in a little schadenfreude.
-
The work, then, is not to lecture communities into trusting us.
Verb
-
While Blutinger was speaking, history professor Jonathan Roth attempted to take video of the protesters in the hallway and got into a physical altercation with a female student who tried to block him from doing so.
-
The two spoke during a roundtable meeting in Thornton hosted by the America First Policy Institute.
Noun
-
His show, which ran for nearly four decades, provided a national platform for frank discussions on race, politics, and culture.
-
If emotions rise, pause to name the concern, then restate the common goal so the discussion shifts from blame toward practical steps and timelines everyone trusts.
Verb
-
Robert, talk me through the thinking behind this framing.
-
Seconds later, Hines-Allen decided she was done talking and shoved Bonner.
Verb
-
Benatia got a three-month suspension for haranguing a fourth official.
-
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.
Noun
-
The new hire was Mike Brown, a funny, amiable man, who, at least outwardly, looks to have a converse personality to Thibodeau.
-
Inside this building, generations of artists a century apart converse about similarly distressing and awe-inducing encounters between us and our technological creations.
Verb
-
Woody Harrelson declaims every line, upping the relentless factor of Phil’s mania.
-
More often, though, Tallent demonstrates his characters’ precarity rather than declaiming about it.
Cite this Entry
“Discourse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourse. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
