con ‧ ver ‧ sa ‧ tion S1 W2 /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃ ə n $ ˌkɑːnvər-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin conversatio , from conversari ; ⇨ ↑ converse 1 ]
[uncountable and countable] an informal talk in which people exchange news, feelings, and thoughts:
a telephone conversation
Children quickly get bored by adult conversation.
conversation with
a short conversation with the teacher
conversation about
a conversation about family and friends
They had a short conversation in German and seemed to be disagreeing about something.
It’s impossible to carry on a conversation with all this noise in the background.
‘Did you have a good journey?’ he said, trying to make conversation.
He was silent, no matter how hard Sofia tried to engage him in conversation.
After a while, the conversation turned to a friend’s coming wedding.
They were deep in conversation, relaxed and smiling.
He could hear snatches of conversation from across the room.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ conversation noun [uncountable and countable] an informal talk in which people exchange news, feelings, and thoughts:
I was having a conversation with a friend the other day.
|
Conversation wasn’t easy because of all the noise.
|
He overheard our conversation about the children.
▪ discussion noun [uncountable and countable] a conversation about something important:
There was a lot of discussion about where the money was going to come from.
|
The two companies have been having discussions about a possible takeover.
▪ talk noun [countable] a long conversation, especially about a problem or about what you plan to do:
We had a long talk about our relationship.
▪ chat noun [countable] especially British English an informal friendly conversation:
I’ve just had a chat with Vinnie.
▪ natter noun [singular] British English informal a conversation with a friend about unimportant things:
Mary and Jean were having a cup of tea and a natter.
▪ gossip noun [singular, uncountable] conversations in which people talk about things they have heard, especially about other people’s private lives, which may well not be true:
She always enjoyed going to friends’ houses and having a gossip.
|
It’s all just gossip.
▪ small talk noun [uncountable] polite friendly conversation about unimportant subjects, especially when you do not know someone very well and feel a little nervous:
We stood around making small talk about the weather.
▪ banter noun [uncountable] friendly conversation in which people joke with each other and gently make fun of each other:
She enjoyed the friendly banter with her colleagues at the office.