discourse
Americannoun
-
discourses
plural
-
communication of thought by words; talk; conversation.
earnest and intelligent discourse.
- Synonyms:
- parley, chat, dialogue, colloquy, discussion
-
a formal discussion of a subject in speech or writing, as a dissertation, treatise, sermon, etc.
-
Linguistics. any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence.
verb (used without object)
-
discourses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discoursed,
past participle, past
-
discoursing
present participle
-
to communicate thoughts orally; talk; converse.
-
to treat of a subject formally in speech or writing.
verb (used with object)
-
discourses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discoursed,
past participle, past
-
discoursing
present participle
noun
-
verbal communication; talk; conversation
-
a formal treatment of a subject in speech or writing, such as a sermon or dissertation
-
a unit of text used by linguists for the analysis of linguistic phenomena that range over more than one sentence
-
archaic the ability to reason or the reasoning process
verb
-
(intr; often foll by on or upon) to speak or write (about) formally and extensively
-
(intr) to hold a discussion
-
archaic (tr) to give forth (music)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discoursesimple
-
discoursessimple
-
have discoursedperfect
-
has discoursedperfect
-
am discoursingprogressive
-
are discoursingprogressive
-
is discoursingprogressive
-
have been discoursingperfect progressive
-
has been discoursingperfect progressive
Past
-
discoursedsimple
-
had discoursedperfect
-
was discoursingprogressive
-
were discoursingprogressive
-
had been discoursingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discourse
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English discours, from Medieval Latin discursus (spelling by influence of Middle English cours “course”), Late Latin: “conversation,” Latin: “a run back and forth,” noun use of past participle of discurrere “to run about,” from dis- dis- 1 + currere “to run”
Explanation
If you use the word discourse, you are describing a formal and intense discussion or debate. The noun discourse comes from the Latin discursus to mean "an argument." But luckily, that kind of argument does not mean people fighting or coming to blows. The argument in discourse refers to an exchange of ideas — sometimes heated — that often follows a kind of order and give-and-take between the participants. It's the kind of argument and discussion that teachers love, so discourse away!
Vocabulary lists containing discourse
Othello
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Rhetoric
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Grade 11, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They, like Elon Musk, were eager participants in the discourse about the “sin of empathy.”
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
But he wants “Tip Toe,” in particular, to encourage discourse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
As speculation swirled about why employees at OpenAI and Anthropic were speaking so freely about their personal beliefs, Korbak jumped into the public discourse.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
I have seen that firsthand while leading discourse programs at Bucknell University and several others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
I thanked him for his friendship and caution, and our discourse proceeded in a low tone, while I toasted the Aged’s sausage and he buttered the crumb of the Aged’s roll.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
In this way, the parallels and connections between European and non-Western antiliberal discourses are neatly illustrated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Or, instead, could former President Trump’s extended discourses demonstrate his genius — an ability, as he says, to “weave” disparate stories into a beautiful tapestry?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
As the self-promoting overseer of X, he holds outsize influence over the countries whose political and electoral discourses still—for persistent lack of better alternatives—center on the text-based platform once known to them as Twitter.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2024
“This campaign also shows the power that new media has in shaping discourses on governance.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
Pocock didn’t deliver any more long discourses on wood or rowing or life, as he had the first time they’d talked.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
On Wednesday, Ono discoursed on group theory and theorems of Lagrange and Fermat as students watched him sketch, with a sure and rapid hand, the symbols of high-level math.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 27, 2020
Our guide, young but practiced in the art of distracting cold tourists, poured hot berry juice and discoursed on Arctic matters.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019
He discoursed on the supremacy of brown antlers — which are fresh with blood — to white ones.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2018
According to the film historian Kevin Brownlow, the crew sometimes took the film out of the camera and continued to crank as Tree discoursed, so as not to waste precious feet of celluloid.
From Slate ● Dec. 4, 2015
He has the repute of being often "grumpy"; but on this occasion he has been in extremely good form and has discoursed uninterruptedly and pleasantly.
From The Letters of Henry James (volume I) by Henry James
But there will be plenty of time for hyping and discoursing this summer.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 21, 2022
Deploying broad historical knowledge and a keen comparative eye, he does an enormous amount of discoursing around the premise that “the clothes we wear today are anachronistic, irrational and harmful.”
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 11, 2019
His image should be what politicians and elected officials envision before they begin discoursing about what can we do, what must we do, to ensure this does not happen again.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 19, 2018
"That's like a field trip to heaven," says Mara, who seconds earlier was discoursing on the debilitating effects of screen life.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2018
Harry thought he heard Percy discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello....
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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