discuss
- 01 A2 Elementary
to talk about something with other people to exchange ideas or reach a decision.
to converse or debate concerning a particular topic. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the subject of conversation.
Simple“The manager wants to discuss the new schedule with the team tomorrow.”
In context“The board members met for several hours to discuss the potential implications of the merger on the company's long-term stability.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and does not take the preposition 'about'.
PitfallWe need to discuss about the new project. We need to discuss the new project.Do not use 'about' after discuss. The verb takes the object directly.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
to check all the ways to get money from a person who owes it before asking someone else to pay.
to examine or search thoroughly; specifically, to exhaust a remedy against a principal debtor before proceeding against a surety.
Simple“The bank must discuss the debtor's own property before they can take money from the person who signed for the loan.”
In context“Under the terms of the guarantee, the creditor is obliged to discuss the assets of the principal debtor before seeking satisfaction from the guarantor.”
UsageUsed primarily in civil law jurisdictions regarding the 'benefit of discussion'.
Synonyms
discuss vs talk about — Discuss is a transitive verb that takes a direct object, while talk about requires a prepositional phrase.
Usage discusses the pros · discuss in more detail · briefly discuss
From Middle English discussen, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman discusser (French discuter), from Latin discussus, past participle of discutiō (“to strike or shake apart, break up, scatter; examine, discuss”), from dis- (“apart”) + quatiō (“to shake”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.