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
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 May 2026
And this is why the discourse on X and these types of things freak me out sometimes.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Noun
Smart chatter praises the trailer’s restraint, sound design and emotional cruelty more than gore, which is rare air for internet horror discourse.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 May 2026
And this is why the discourse on X and these types of things freak me out sometimes.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Verb
Cage and Hay also gave a recital in conjunction with a lecture by W. F. Way, who discoursed on the need for a yacht harbor in Santa Monica.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for discourse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourse
Noun
-
One bill that repeatedly came up in conversation was Senate Bill 2, a priority bill for Senate Democrats that would have changed the state’s sales-and-use tax, allowing some energy use by businesses to be exempt from the tax.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Mercury enters Gemini and moves through your 3rd House of Communication, waking up conversations, messages, and the small decisions that shape your day.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The cruel cartoon of a constantly shrewish, venal, and disloyal Mary began cementing itself in the public mind when William Herndon, Lincoln’s Springfield law partner, started lecturing about his reminiscences within months of the President’s murder.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Also, don’t lecture your teens and don’t expect constant gratitude.—
Judy Koutsky,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Police say another mother, identified in the affidavit as Jada Hayes, remained in the parking lot after the meeting to speak with Dunmars about allegations that Dunmars’ child was bullying her own child.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
When the three-time All-Star with the Braves speaks highly of current catcher Drake Baldwin, his comments hold a little more weight.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Araghchi said Russia’s proposal was not currently under active discussion, but could be revisited.—
Sheikh Saaliq,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
-
After four seasons, Lawrence left Spin City when Fox did and went on to create Scrubs at NBC, a series that often gets lost in discussions of how TV comedy evolved in the aughts.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, Kristine Froseth adds pep as a bimbo who hasn’t yet learned how to talk as leadenly as everyone else.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
At many such events in the past, people seated near me have talked throughout the concert.—
Maggie Penman,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Benatia got a three-month suspension for haranguing a fourth official.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
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
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
-
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 20 May. 2026.
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