talk down
Britishverb
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to behave (towards) in a superior or haughty manner
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(tr) to override (a person or argument) by continuous or loud talking
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(tr) to give instructions to (an aircraft) by radio to enable it to land
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Belittle, depreciate, as in They talked down the importance of the move .
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Silence someone by speaking loudly and persistently, as in They talked down whatever objections she brought up . [Early 1800s]
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Help an aircraft to land by giving directions via radio, as in The fog was so thick the control tower had to talk us down . [c. 1940]
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See talk down to .
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.
And while there is goofy comedy involving the often clueless sheep, Mazin didn’t want to talk down to the kids watching.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
What I am saying is that, if you have never found yourself in a situation where your life does a complete 180, it’s wrong to talk down to anyone.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
Newsom said he agreed such situations were “unfair” but that he also took issue with “the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities,” including transgender people.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2025
He has had to explain his own story and talk down some who he feels were putting unrealistic expectations on kids as young as three or four.
From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024
Don’t be clinical, don’t try to force her into anything, don’t talk down to her, she hates that.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions 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.
