1
as in speaking
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
Relevance
2
as in declaiming
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 discoursing
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
Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discoursing
Verb
-
Broadly speaking, the panel was addressed to the arts, not only the visual arts but also all forms of writing, including journalism.—
John McPhee,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The hosts are frequently seen with little makeup and shiny faces, speaking to each other from home offices or bare-bones studios.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
More often, though, Tallent demonstrates his characters’ precarity rather than declaiming about it.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Should the guy who spends his spare time dodging bullets really be lecturing him on death wishes?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Is there an art to talking to famous people who are famously stoic about their personal life and famously put up boundaries everywhere?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
-
There’s Larry Gagosian talking with Richard Serra with Tony Shafrazi in front of them.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After haranguing the receptionist, he was eventually granted a 15-minute audience with Fujita, who advised his teenage devotee to focus on future technologies like computers.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
-
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discoursing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discoursing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
