talk down

verb

talked down; talking down; talks down

intransitive verb

: to speak in a condescending or oversimplified fashion

transitive verb

: to disparage or belittle by talking

Examples of talk down in a Sentence

a company that prefers to talk up its own products rather than talk down those of its competitors
Recent Examples on the Web Administrators at the Mesquite charter school tried to talk down the student who on Feb. 19 brought the handgun into the school and pulled it out in an administrator’s office, newly released 911 audio revealed. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2024 No one likes to be lectured, and no one wants to be talked down to. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 From insta-stalking accusations, a man in the year 2023 talking down on a woman for wearing makeup, to only two couples barely making it down the aisle, Houston’s season has been an interesting experience, to say the least. James Grebey, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2023 Craig, as has always been the case with Blume, never tries to talk down to her pre-teen audience or dismiss their intelligence. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 July 2023 Tensions between Israel and Qatar were recently heightened after leaked audio surfaced of Netanyahu talking down Doha's efforts while in conversation with Israeli hostage families. Margaret Brennan, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2024 Women have spoken about financial advisers who talked down to them in meetings, and some have described being ignored while the advisers speak to their husbands even though the women had arranged the appointment. Rivan Stinson, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 More serious is a scene involving a man who seems to be considering hurting himself and has to be talked down from a high structure by a crisis counselor. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 That said, even Ukraine's top general is now talking down the prospect of a significant breakthrough. Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'talk down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of talk down was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near talk down

Cite this Entry

“Talk down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20down. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

talk down

verb
: to speak in an overly simple manner as if to a person who does not know much
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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