ENGLISH
REFERENCE

talk down

idiom
Meaning

To negotiate a lower price.


Examples
SIMPLE

I talked the seller down to a much lower price.

CONTEXTUAL

The car was listed for five thousand dollars, but I managed to talk the dealer down to four thousand.

COMPLEX

Although the antique dealer initially demanded an exorbitant sum for the painting, the persistent collector successfully talked him down to a more reasonable valuation.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all talk and no cider

    All talk and no results.

  2. 02

    big talk

    Statements which are boastful or exaggerated.

  3. 03

    coffee talk

    Informal conversation among friends or acquaintances, of the kind that occurs in a casual gathering where people sit together and drink coffee.

  4. 04

    if these walls could talk

    Used to denote a location with an interesting or controversial history.

  5. 05

    pillow talk

    Conversation shared by bedmates, particularly intimate conversation after sexual intercourse.

  6. 06

    rabbit

    [Cockney slang]talk

  7. 07

    sex talk

    Flirtatious conversation, used as foreplay or for seduction.

  8. 08

    small talk

    Idle conversation, typically regarding innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.

Last updated April 17, 2026