What does "discourse" mean?
Verbal exchange, conversation.
Discourse
/ˈdɪs.kɔːs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Verbal exchange, conversation.
- Grammar: discourse is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: discussion, accent, accents, act.
- Useful contrasts: disorder, fragmentation, ignore.
- Usage evidence: In their discourse after dinner, they talked about politics.
How to use "discourse"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "discourse" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "discourse" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "discourse" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "discourse" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "discourse" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "discussion" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "discourse", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Verbal exchange, conversation. archaic, uncountable
"UUho when he ſhal embrace you in his arms UUil tell how many thouſand men he ſlew. And when you looke for amorous diſcourſe, Will rattle foorth his facts of war and blood: […]"
- 2 extended verbal expression in speech or writing wordnet
- 3 Expression in words, either speech or writing. uncountable
"Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story."
- 4 an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic wordnet
- 5 A conversation. countable
"It ſeems, the Minds of theſe People are ſo taken up with intenſe Speculations, that they neither can ſpeak, nor attend to the Diſcourſes of others, without being rouzed by ſome external Taction upon the Organs of Speech and Hearing; for which reaſon, thoſe Perſons who are able to afford it always keep a Flapper (the Original is Climenole) in their Family, as one of their Domeſticks, nor ever walk abroad or make Viſits without him."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service) wordnet
- 7 A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written. countable
"The preacher gave us a long discourse on duty."
- 8 Any rational expression, reason. countable
"Sure he that made us with such large discourse, / Looking before and after, gave us not / That capability and godlike reason / To rust in us unused."
- 9 An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault). countable
"Furthermore, it should be recalled from the previous chapter that criminological discourse of the 1930s deemed every woman a potential criminal, implicitly including the domestic woman."
- 10 Lengthy, often heated debate over controversial subject matter, particularly within fandom and activist spaces. Sometimes rendered as a proper noun with the definite article (i.e. "the Discourse"). Internet, uncountable
"We all know — or know now — the Internet meme known as “The Discourse,” which became popular on the social media site Tumblr in April of last year."
- 11 Dealing; transaction. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Good Captain Bessus, tell us the discourse / Betwixt Tigranes and our king, and how / We got the victory."
Verb
- 1 To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse. intransitive
- 2 talk at length and formally about a topic wordnet
- 3 To write or speak formally and at length. intransitive
- 4 carry on a conversation wordnet
- 5 To debate. obsolete, transitive
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 to consider or examine in speech or writing wordnet
- 7 To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.
"While he discours'd on heaven's mysterious The world's original, and nature's cause"
- 8 To produce or emit (musical sounds). obsolete, transitive
"Hamlet. […] Will you play upon this pipe? […] It is as easy as lying. Govern these ventages with your fingers and thumbs, give it breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"In their discourse after dinner, they talked about politics."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "discourse"?
Common synonyms include: discussion, accent, accents, act, address, address oral inarticulacy.
How do you use "discourse" in a sentence?
In their discourse after dinner, they talked about politics.
How do you pronounce "discourse"?
Pronounced /ˈdɪs.kɔːs/.
Etymology
From Middle English discours, borrowed from Middle French discours (“conversation, speech”), from Latin discursus (“the act of running about”), from Latin discurrō (“run about”), from dis- (“apart”) + currō (“run”). Spelling modified by influence of Middle French cours (“course”). Doublet of discursus.