conversation
informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk: how to master the art of conversation.
such interchange by sign language, email, or other nonoral means of communication: I enjoy our time on the phone, but she prefers conversation by texting.
an instance of this: I had a long phone conversation with my cousin in Florida.
an informal public exchange of ideas or opinions about a particular issue; a dialogue: It’s time for a global conversation about the epidemic.
association or social intercourse: a year's conversation with him as his caregiver and friend.
the ability to talk socially with others: She writes well but has no conversation.
Obsolete.
behavior or manner of living.
close familiarity; intimate acquaintance, as from constant use or study.
Origin of conversation
1Other words for conversation
Other words from conversation
- pre·con·ver·sa·tion, noun
Words Nearby conversation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use conversation in a sentence
Personally, I’m happy for conversations that move things forward in helping us be ever-safer with online data usage and storage.
This decade’s most important marketing question: What data rights do advertisers possess? | Kirk Williams | September 17, 2020 | Search Engine LandLorne Michaels, SNL’s producer, told Vulture in an interview that Carrey initiated the conversation about playing the part.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump | Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostThey also were instructed to edit the beginning and ending of each snippet to differentiate the posts slightly, according to the notes from the recorded conversation with a participant.
Pro-Trump youth group enlists teens in secretive campaign likened to a ‘troll farm,’ prompting rebuke by Facebook and Twitter | Isaac Stanley-Becker | September 15, 2020 | Washington PostIt became a very emotional experience for me, these conversations.
While standing in line for food I struck up a conversation with the man in front of me.
For many years afterward it was a never-ending topic of conversation, and is more or less talked of even to this day.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTYet, for god knows what reason, his name is never brought up in the “Great American Filmmaker” conversation.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEven though we were running late, Scott was jovial and candid in his conversation.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott | Stereo Williams | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTA successful trend-maker might be able to steer a conversation, but virality remains extremely difficult to predict.
In conversation, her ideas emerge at a roiling boil that often takes on a momentum of its own.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination | Mindy Farabee | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsCousin George's position is such a happy one, that conversation is to him a thing superfluous.
Physiology of The Opera | John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")He insisted upon my staying a while, and we had the most amusing and entertaining conversation imaginable.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayIt was the conversation of every circle; and discussed according to the dispositions, or views of the speakers.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterDuring this conversation Harry's right hand was resting beneath his jacket, grasping the butt of his revolver.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
British Dictionary definitions for conversation
/ (ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən) /
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with conversation
In addition to the idiom beginning with conversation
- conversation piece
also see:
- make conversation
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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