talk down

British  

verb

1. to behave (towards) in a superior or haughty manner

2. (tr) to override (a person or argument) by continuous or loud talking

3. (tr) to give instructions to (an aircraft) by radio to enable it to land

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talk down Idioms  

1. Belittle, depreciate, as in They talked down the importance of the move .

2. Silence someone by speaking loudly and persistently, as in They talked down whatever objections she brought up . [Early 1800s]

3. 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]

4. See talk down to .

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Example Sentences

After spending more than a decade selling cars and auto financing at dealerships, he now uses his experience to try to talk down the sticker prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 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

Folk I talk to in government talk down how many asylum seekers they are likely to send.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 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