converse

C3O1N1V4E1R1S1E1
UK/kənˈvɜːs/US/kənˈvɝs/UK/ˈkɒnvɜːs/US/ˈkɑnvɝs/

verb

To talk; to engage in conversation.

Similar
conversateconvodiscoursechatcommonconfabconfabulatejaw
OriginOld French converser ← Latin conversor →
Less commonScrabble 13
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

converse1

verbconverse (third-person singular simple present converses, present participle conversing, simple past and past participle conversed)

present singular third person converses · participle present conversing · participle past conversed · past conversed

  1. formalintransitiveTo talk; to engage in conversation.

    We had conversed so often on that subject.

    1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC
    1 more example

    Companions[…] That do converse and waste the time together.

    c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]

    Synonyms: conversate, convo, discourse

  2. To keep company; to hold intimate intercourse; to commune.

    But to converse with heaven — This is not easy.

    1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion
    2 more examples

    To seek the distant hills, and there converse With nature.

    a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC

    Conversing with the world, we use the world's fashions.

    1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC
  3. obsoleteTo have knowledge of something, from long talk or study.

    according as the objects they converse with afford greater or less variety

    1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC
nounconverse (uncountable)
  1. literaryuncountableFree verbal interchange of thoughts or views; conversation; chat.

    [S]uch was the aberration of mind attending converse with a successful draper.

    1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 26
    4 more examples

    Twice ere the sun descends, with zeal inspir'd, / From the vain converse of the world retir'd, / She reads the psalms and chapters for the day […]

    1727, [Edward Young], “Satire V. On Women.”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC

    [R]eturn to thy maſter, and tell him, e'er vve liquidate our differences by the ſvvord, Manfred vvould hold ſome converſe vvith him.

    1764 December 24 (indicated as 1765), Onuphrio Muralto, translated by William Marshal [pseudonyms; Horace Walpole], chapter III, in The Castle of Otranto, […], London: […] Tho[mas] Lownds […], →OCLC, page 93

    She had around her gay converse, in which she had no share; and laughter, in which she was little tempted to join.

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 177

    In a first-class carriage of a train speeding Balkanward across the flat, green Hungarian plain, two Britons sat in friendly, fitful converse.

    1919, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “The Disappearance of Crispina Umerleigh”, in R[othay] R[eynolds], editor, The Toys of Peace and Other Papers. […], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head […], →OCLC

converse2

adjectiveconverse (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOpposite; reversed in order or relation; reciprocal.

    a converse proposition

nounconverse (plural converses)

plural converses

  1. The opposite or reverse.
  2. human sciencesOf a proposition or theorem consisting of a statement of the form "If A is true, then B is true", the statement "If B is true, then A is true" which need not be equivalent to the first one.

    All trout are fish, but the converse, that all fish are trout, is not true.

  3. human sciencesOne of a pair of terms that name or describe a relationship from opposite perspectives; converse antonym; relational antonym.
  4. graph theorySynonym of transpose.

    Synonyms: transpose

Converse3

proper nounConverse (plural Converses)

plural Converses

  1. A surname.
  2. A shoe of an American-based brand of that name.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo talk; to engage in conversation.

Similar
conversateconvodiscourse

nounSynonym of transpose.

Similar
transpose
Similar
chatcommonconfabconfabulatejawparleytreatword
Broader
speak

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveof words so related that one reverses the relation denoted by the other

Similar
antonymous

adjectiveturned about in order or relation

Similar
reversedtransposedbackward

verbcarry on a conversation

Similar
discourse
Broader
talkspeak
Also see
antithesisbackwardchatcommonconfabulatecontrariantconversateconverse antonymconvodiscoursejawmootoppositeparleyreciprocalreversedspeaktransposetreatutterword

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

converse · verb, noun

  1. Latinconversor“live, have dealings with”
  2. Old Frenchconverser
  3. Englishconverse

From Old French converser, from Latin conversor (“live, have dealings with”).

More words from Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

converse · adjective, noun

  1. Latinconversus“turned around”
  2. Englishconverse

From Latin conversus (“turned around”), past participle of converto (“turn about”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Converse · proper noun

The athletic equipment company is named after its founder, Marquis Mills Converse.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans gesels, gesprek voer
  • geselsto engage in conversation
  • gesprek voerto engage in conversation
  • teenoorgesteldeopposite
Ancient Greek διαλέγομαι ἔντευξις ποιῶ
  • διαλέγομαι ἔντευξις ποιῶ (dialégomai)to engage in conversation
Arabic تَحَدَّثَ, تَكَلَّمَ
  • تَحَدَّثَ (taḥaddaṯa)to engage in conversation
  • تَكَلَّمَ (takallama)to engage in conversation
Bulgarian разгова́рям, бесе́двам
  • разгова́рям (razgovárjam)to engage in conversation
  • бесе́двам (besédvam)to engage in conversation
  • обра́тно (obrátno)opposite
  • обра́тна теоре́ма (obrátna teoréma)proposition of the specific form
Chinese Mandarin 通話 /通话, 交談 /交谈
  • 通話 /通话 (tōnghuà)to engage in conversation
  • 交談 /交谈 (jiāotán)to engage in conversation
  • 談話 /谈话 (tánhuà)to engage in conversation
  • 會話 /会话 (huìhuà)to engage in conversation
Czech konverzovat, rozmlouvat
  • konverzovatto engage in conversation
  • rozmlouvatto engage in conversation
  • hovořitto engage in conversation
Danish konversere, tale
  • konversereto engage in conversation
  • taleto engage in conversation
Dutch converseren, spreken
  • converserento engage in conversation
  • sprekento engage in conversation
  • tegenovergesteldeopposite
Esperanto interparoli, konversacii
  • interparolito engage in conversation
  • konversaciito engage in conversation
Estonian suhtlema, vestlema
  • suhtlemato engage in conversation
  • vestlemato engage in conversation
Finnish keskustella, päinvastainen
  • keskustellato engage in conversation
  • päinvastainenopposite
  • käänteislauseproposition of the specific form
  • käänteinen lauseproposition of the specific form
  • käänteinen väiteproposition of the specific form
French converser, parler
  • converserto engage in conversation
  • parlerto engage in conversation
  • opposéopposite
  • inverseopposite
  • réciproqueproposition of the specific form
German sich unterhalten, konversieren
  • sich unterhaltento engage in conversation
  • konversierento engage in conversation
  • sprechento engage in conversation
  • redento engage in conversation
  • Gegenteilopposite
  • Umkehrungopposite
  • Gegenteilproposition of the specific form
  • Umkehrungproposition of the specific form
  • Umkehrschlussproposition of the specific form
  • Gegenschlussproposition of the specific form
Greek συνομιλώ, συνδιαλέγομαι
  • συνομιλώ (synomiló)to engage in conversation
  • συνδιαλέγομαι (syndialégomai)to engage in conversation
Hebrew שׂוֹחֵחַ
  • שׂוֹחֵחַ (sokhéakh)to engage in conversation
Hindi बात करना
  • बात करना (bāt karnā)to engage in conversation
Hungarian társalog
  • társalogto engage in conversation
Icelandic spjalla, tala saman
  • spjallato engage in conversation
  • tala samanto engage in conversation
  • andhverfingproposition of the specific form
Irish déan comhrá
  • déan comhráto engage in conversation
Italian conversare, parlare
  • conversareto engage in conversation
  • parlareto engage in conversation
Japanese 会話する, 談話する
  • 会話する (kaiwa suru)to engage in conversation
  • 談話する (danwa suru)to engage in conversation
  • 話す (hanasu)to engage in conversation
Korean 대화하다, 이야기하다
  • 대화하다 (daehwahada)to engage in conversation
  • 이야기하다 (iyagihada)to engage in conversation
  • 반대 (bandae)opposite
  • 역 (yeok)proposition of the specific form
Latin colloquor, fabulor
  • colloquorto engage in conversation
  • fabulorto engage in conversation
  • sermōcinorto engage in conversation
Latvian sarunāties
  • sarunātiesto engage in conversation
Lithuanian pasikalbėti
  • pasikalbėtito engage in conversation
Māori kōwetewete, kōrerorero
  • kōweteweteto engage in conversation
  • kōreroreroto engage in conversation
Norwegian Bokmål samtale, snakke
  • samtaleto engage in conversation
  • snakketo engage in conversation
Polish rozmawiać, gwarzyć
  • rozmawiaćto engage in conversation
  • gwarzyćto engage in conversation
  • konwersowaćto engage in conversation
Portuguese conversar, falar
  • conversarto engage in conversation
  • falarto engage in conversation
  • recíprocaproposition of the specific form
Romanian a vorbi, a conversa
  • a vorbito engage in conversation
  • a conversato engage in conversation
Russian разгова́ривать, бесе́довать
  • разгова́ривать (razgovárivatʹ)to engage in conversation
  • бесе́довать (besédovatʹ)to engage in conversation
  • обща́ться (obščátʹsja)to engage in conversation
  • противоположность (protivopoložnostʹ)opposite
Slovak hovoriť, konverzovať
  • hovoriťto engage in conversation
  • konverzovaťto engage in conversation
Spanish conversar, tertuliar
  • conversarto engage in conversation
  • tertuliarto engage in conversation
  • prosearto engage in conversation
  • hablarto engage in conversation
  • revésopposite
  • contrarioopposite
  • recíprocaproposition of the specific form
  • inversaproposition of the specific form
  • sentido inversoproposition of the specific form
Swedish konversera, tala
  • konverserato engage in conversation
  • talato engage in conversation
Tagalog makipag-usap
  • makipag-usapto engage in conversation
Tamil உரையாடு
  • உரையாடு (uraiyāṭu)to engage in conversation
Thai สนทนา
  • สนทนา (sǒn-tá-naa)to engage in conversation
Turkish konuşmak, söyleşmek
  • konuşmakto engage in conversation
  • söyleşmekto engage in conversation
  • sohbet etmekto engage in conversation
  • muhabbet etmekto engage in conversation
Ukrainian розмовля́ти, розмо́вити
  • розмовля́ти (rozmovljáty)to engage in conversation
  • розмо́вити (rozmóvyty)to engage in conversation
Urdu بات کَرْنا
  • بات کَرْنا (bāt karnā)to engage in conversation
Vietnamese đối thoại
  • đối thoạito engage in conversation
Welsh ymddiddan
  • ymddiddanto engage in conversation

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with converse

universereversenurseworsediverseversepursetraversetransversereimburseperversedisperseimmerseaversecoerceterseobversehearsemultiversedisburseperserecursebursea blessing and a curse
All rhymes →

Anagrams

conserve
Cite this entry
APA

converse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/converse

MLA

“converse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/converse. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “converse,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/converse.

Source: converse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.