discourses 1 of 2

plural of discourse

discourses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of discourse
1
as in lectures
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

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 discourses
Noun
Hagai Palevsky considers these discourses and more while examining Sethphemera, essays and interviews by the cartoonist Seth. Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 The chatter of cosmopolitan élites is the most reviled of all discourses right now. Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 Yet, public discourses generally on its barriers. Kenneth Okeke, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2026 In the wake of the 2020 protests of anti-Black police violence, museums put themselves forward as hosts for their communities’ racial reckonings and difficult discourses. Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026 Media discourses are considered processes for the collective social construction of reality in terms of frames and schemata. Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 May 2026 By analyzing discourses on development squarely within Native American studies, Yazzie situates capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism into the politics of nation-building. JSTOR Daily, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discourses
Noun
  • After those conversations, Rubey developed a ritual to bless the sites where people had died from suicide.
    Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Fear over airstrikes on Iran, which pervaded many conversations with locals during the war, has evaporated.
    Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • Today’s successful downtowns rely on a mix of ingredients, said Steven Falk, the former city manager of Lafayette, who’s served as an interim city executive in Oakland and Richmond and who lectures at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
  • Bad teams are given mechanisms to recover, not lectures about bootstraps.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
Verb
  • The role required fluency in at least three languages—and Blunt, by her own admission, just about speaks Spanish.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 2 July 2026
  • Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR's Ukraine Correspondent Joanna Kakissis about the overnight attack in Kyiv, which comes on the heels of Ukraine's drone assaults in Moscow.
    NPR, NPR, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • Harry's decision comes amid ongoing discussions with the royal family to acquire an appropriate level of security for his family, including Meghan Markle and their two children, Princess Lilibet, 5, and Prince Archie, 7.
    Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 5 July 2026
  • More than 70 students heard directly from Holocaust survivors and educators before participating in smaller breakout discussions.
    Eva Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • Instead, the guy talks to dead barkeeps and wields an ax more than his typewriter.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • Albert Saijo, second semester editor of Echoes, Heart Mountain high school publication, talks things over with Hisako Takehara and Alice Tanouye, first semester co-editors.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Woody Harrelson declaims every line, upping the relentless factor of Phil’s mania.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026
Noun
  • The resulting arguments, trolling and nasty exchanges can signal to the algorithm that the content is engaging, prompting it to show those posts to even more people who are likely to react and further amplify the conversation.
    Larry Magid, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Even small transfers through regulated exchanges can trigger checks that require firms to collect and share identifying information about the parties to the transfer.
    Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discourses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourses. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on discourses

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster