talk down to


Also, speak down to. Address someone with insulting condescension, patronize, as in Just because she's editor-in-chief doesn't give her the right to talk down to her staff, or Children hate teachers who speak down to them.

Words Nearby talk down to

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use talk down to in a sentence

  • She puts on a kind of condescending, talk-down-to-you sort of manner.

    Aletta | Bertram Mitford