In their discourse after dinner, they talked about politics.
Source: tatoeba (324643)
Discourse
/ˈdɪs.kɔːs/
Synonyms for "discourse" (289 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (58)
Noun(13 words)
discussionaddress oral inarticulacyaddressingallocutionarguingcampaign languageclassroom conversationcoherencecolloquiescommunication actcompose an essayconversationconverse
accentaccentsactaddressairamplifyanalyzeapercuarguearticleassignmentbandy wordscanvasscauseriechalk talkchatterchew the fatchew the ragchincolloque
Show 23 more words
colloquial discoursecolloquizecolloquycommentcomment uponcommentatecommerce withcommune withcommunicatecommunicate withcommunicationcommunionconfabconfabulateconsidercontrovertconversationconverseconverse withconversingcriticizedeal withdebate
Preposition(1 words)
by speech
Verb(1 words)
Strong matches (87)
Noun(21 words)
debatedebatesdeliverdescantingdescantsdialecticdialog — germandialogsdialoguedialoguesdialoguingdisagreeingdiscoursingdiscussdiscussingdisputationsduologueessayexhortationexpounding
Show 1 more word
deductiondeductive reasoningdeliberatedeliberate upondeliver an addressdemonstrationdescantdevelopdilatediscourse aboutdiscourse of reasondiscourse withdiscursive reasondiscussdiscussiondisputedisquisitiondissertdissertatedissertation
Show 41 more words
doelaborateelocutionenactenlargeessayetudeexaminationexamineexchangeexchange viewsexcursusexerciseexpandexpatiateexplainexpositexpositionexpoundfeaturefirst approachgabgive a talkgive-and-takego intohandleharanguehold forthhomeworkhomilyimpersonateinductioninductive reasoninginquire intoinstructionintercourseinterlocutionintroductory studyinvestigateknock aroundlanguage
Adjective(1 words)
dialogic discussion
Verb(4 words)
Related words (144)
Noun(22 words)
language uselecturelecture only instructionlectureslinguistic actionmost verbal exchangenormorateorationoverton windowparleyspreachingpresentrambleramblingrigamarolesermonspeechspeechestalk
Show 2 more words
text structuretreatment
lecturelecture-demonstrationlessonlogical thoughtlucubrationmemoirmonographmoralmoral lessonmoralitymoralizationmoralizemorceaunarratenoteobject lessonoral communicationorateoutlinepalaver
Show 100 more words
pandectpaperparagraphparolepass under reviewperformperoratepersonatephilosophypieceplatformplayplayactpoint a moralprattlepreachpreachificationpreachingpreachmentprelectionpreliminary studyprolegomenonproofraprappingratiocinationrationalismrationalityrationalizationrationalizingread a lessonreasonreason aboutreason the pointreasonablenessreasoningrecitalrecitationreligious discourseremarkremark uponresearch paperreviewrhetoricscreedsermonsermonettesermonizeset taskshoot the breezesiftsketchskull sessionsoapboxsophistryspeakspeak withspeakingspecial articlespecious reasoningspeechspeechifystudystumpsurveysweet reasontake counsel withtake the floortake the stumptake uptalktalk abouttalk oftalk overtalk togethertalkingtaskteachingterm paperthemethesisthresh outtouch upontracttractatetraveloguetreattreat oftreatisetreatmentutteranceventilateverbal intercourseverbalizationvisit withvoicewordswrite upyakkety-yakyakking
Adjective(1 words)
modern speech
Verb(1 words)
talk about
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: discussion, accent, accents, act, address.
- Sentence evidence is available for discourse, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "discourse".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "discourse"
Keep "discourse" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "discourse" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "discourse", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "discourse" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesaddresscommunicatecommunicatingcommunicationcoverdealexpressionhandlelanguage unitlinguistic unitlinguisticsplowspeakspeech
Showing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
15 entriesCollocations
9 entriesacademic discoursediscourse analysisdiscourse communitydiscourse markersdiscursive practiceformal discourselinguistic discourseoral discoursepublic discourse
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
6 entriesTranslations
48 translations across 24 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- gesprek noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Bulgarian
1 entries- разговор noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 交談 /交谈 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- 會話 /会话 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- 談話 /谈话 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Czech
1 entries- rozprava noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Danish
2 entries- debat noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- samtale noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Dutch
3 entries- conversatie noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- gedachtewisseling noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- gesprek noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Faroese
2 entries- orðaskifti noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- samrøða noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Finnish
3 entries- ajatustenvaihto noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- diskurssi noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- keskustelu noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
French
2 entries- conversation noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- discours noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Galician
2 entries- discurso noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- discusión noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
German
3 entries- Debatte noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- Diskurs noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- Gespräch noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Greek
1 entries- συνομιλία noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Hebrew
1 entries- שִׂיחַ noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Italian
1 entries- discussione noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Japanese
3 entries- 会話 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- 会談 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- 対話 noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- diskurs noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- diskurs noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Polish
1 entries- konwersacja noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Portuguese
1 entries- discussão noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Romanian
2 entries- conversație noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- discurs noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Russian
4 entries- бесе́да noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- ди́скурс noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- диску́рс noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- разгово́р noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Spanish
4 entries- coloquio noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- conversación noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- discurso noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- platicada noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Swedish
1 entries- diskurs noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Turkish
2 entries- mübahase noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
- tartışma noun (verbal exchange or conversation)
Sample sentences
28 total sentences available.
Revelation cannot be applied to the relating of facts by the persons who saw them done, nor to the relating or recording of any discourse or conversation by those who heard it.
Source: tatoeba (1530057)
Erase to the start of discourse or text; drop the subject or start over.
Source: tatoeba (1616246)
Whether written or spoken, formally monologic or dialogic, discourse is studied as interaction.
Source: tatoeba (2403384)
Showing 4 of 28 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "discourse"?
Closest matches include discussion, accent, accents, act, address.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "discourse"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.