talk down

verb

talked down; talking down; talks down
Synonyms of talk downnext

intransitive verb

: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion

transitive verb

: to disparage or belittle by talking

Examples of talk down in a Sentence

a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The movie goes from this weird, seedy love motel to the industrial backwaters, and these long walks and talks down empty streets. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 The scale is the thing, who don't necessarily know or understand or appreciate, not talking down to anybody, but this is the way in which this thing will have access to your stuff, can go wrong potentially. Brian Barrett, Wired News, 21 May 2026 But that high-energy personality sometimes turned dark, classmates said, with Pratt making fun of his peers and talking down to staff members. Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026 The contractors talked down to me. Literary Hub, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for talk down

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of talk down was in 1642

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Talk down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20down. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

talk down

verb
: to speak in an overly simple manner as if to a person who does not know much
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