Conversation
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking. countable, uncountable
"I had an interesting conversation with Nicolas yesterday about how much he's getting paid."
- 2 the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc. wordnet
- 3 The back-and-forth play of the blades in a bout. countable, uncountable
- 4 The protocol-based interaction between systems processing a transaction. countable, uncountable
- 5 Interaction; commerce or intercourse with other people; dealing with others. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Yt chaunſed thatt a whole yere they had their converſacion with the congregacion there / and taught moche people in ſomoche thatt the diſciples off Antioche wer the fyrſt that wer called Chriſten."
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- 6 Behaviour, the way one conducts oneself; a person's way of life. archaic, countable, uncountable
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
- 7 Sexual intercourse. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"criminal conversation"
- 8 Engagement with a specific subject, idea, field of study etc. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"So grosse is our conuersation, and dull is our apprehension: while mortall Sense, in vs, ruleth the common wealth of our litle world."
- 1 To engage in conversation (with). ambitransitive, nonstandard
"Gone now are the "high-minded" style, the "adapted from literature" feel, the voice-over narration, and the abstract conversationing about ideas, values..."
Example
More examples"It is difficult to keep up a conversation with someone who only says "yes" and "no"."
Etymology
From Middle English conversacioun, from Old French conversacion and its etymon, Latin conversātiōnem, accusative singular of conversātiō (“conversation”), from conversor (“abide, keep company with”). Doublet of conversazione. Morphologically converse + -ation.
Related phrases
More for "conversation"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.