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conversation

[ kon-ver-sey-shuhn ]
/ ˌkɒn vərˈseɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR conversation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy.
an instance of this.
association or social intercourse; intimate acquaintance.
criminal conversation.
the ability to talk socially with others: She writes well but has no conversation.
Obsolete.
  1. behavior or manner of living.
  2. close familiarity; intimate acquaintance, as from constant use or study.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following bird names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Words related to conversation

comment, conference, remark, observation, exchange, communication, discussion, visit, hearing, consultation, speech, chat, gossip, questioning, debate, talk, confab, repartee, confabulation, intercourse

Words nearby conversation

convergent thinking, converging lens, conversable, conversant, conversate, conversation, conversation chair, conversation piece, conversation pit, conversational, conversational implicature

Origin of conversation

1300–50; Middle English conversacio(u)n < Latin conversātiōn- (stem of conversātiō) society, intercourse, equivalent to conversāt(us) past participle of conversārī to associate with (see converse1) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM conversation

pre·con·ver·sa·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for conversation

British Dictionary definitions for conversation

conversation
/ (ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən) /

noun

the interchange through speech of information, ideas, etc; spoken communication
make conversation to talk in an artificial way

Other words from conversation

Related adjective: colloquial
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with conversation

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