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Definition of "discourse" []

  • Verbal expression in speech or writing. (noun)
  • Verbal exchange; conversation. (noun)
  • A formal, lengthy discussion of a subject, either written or spoken. (noun)
  • Archaic The process or power of reasoning. (noun)
  • To speak or write formally and at length. See Synonyms at speak. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "discourse" in a sentence
  • "The title discourse furnishes a central theme to which those following stand in relation."
  • "Critically, the crux of the entire process in the development of these works was for Ravi the concept of Sannidhi which in traditional Indian aesthetic discourse translates as 'proximity' or 'close by' or 'in the presence'."
  • "Her book, which first appeared in French in 2008, combines three strands: a study of events; a detailed account of the social, economic, religious, cultural, political and administrative context of 12th-century Syria and Egypt; and an unrelenting investigation of what she calls the "discourse.""