discussion
Americannoun
-
discussions
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of discussion
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin discussiōn-, stem of discussiō “inquiry, examination,” Latin: “a shaking,” from discuss(us) “shaken” ( see discuss) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you're in an ongoing discussion with someone over, say, the best way to train a dog, that means you talk to each other over a long period of time, about all the aspects of dog training. Discussion comes from the Latin for "examination by taking things apart," and when you're having a discussion with someone on a complicated topic, it's like you're taking it apart and trying to understand it. Usually in a discussion, people exchange ideas. If you say, "I adore bananas," and your friend says, "me too," that's hardly a discussion. But if your friend says, "bananas are disgusting," then you can get into a discussion about it.
Vocabulary lists containing discussion
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Troy Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations, told reporters Wednesday at the owners meetings in New York City that sportsmanship was a discussion item.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
According to Stephanie, disagreements between medical teams over how best to manage Flora's symptoms erupted into a heated discussion at her daughter's bedside.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
This discussion helps put the stock market’s recent turmoil into perspective.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Merz opened the event late Monday, holding an on-stage discussion with Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang, who praised Germany's high-end engineering firms and research institutions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Absolutely. I’m sorry I didn’t bring Boo today. But I thought it would be better if we had this discussion just you and me.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Reports of Starlink’s discussions with cell-tower owners were noticed by shareholders of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Compared with those earlier Reddit reports, discussions involving unapproved retatrutide contained proportionally more mentions of appetite-related changes, sleep disturbances, increased heart rate, and muscle-related symptoms.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
"We believe the necessary competition environment was in place by the start of competition, including thorough discussions and co-ordination with GL Events," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Musk said he isn’t participating in the committee discussions because he is a conflicted party, and that the committees have yet to agree on terms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
"Wait. This discussion, and any subsequent discussions, will go much quicker if you just assume I'm always correct."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
