Meaning & use
dirty talk
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableinformal
Sexually explicit or suggestive talk, often used to arouse a partner.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'some dirty talk', not 'a dirty talk'.
Patterns
- whisper dirty talk
- engage in dirty talk
They whispered dirty talk to each other.
Some couples enjoy dirty talk as part of their intimate life.
He was not comfortable with dirty talk and asked to stop.
Common combinations
- whisper dirty talk
- She whispered dirty talk in his ear.
- enjoy dirty talk
- They both enjoy dirty talk in the bedroom.
- a bit of dirty talk
- A bit of dirty talk can be fun for some people.
Synonyms and how they differ
- erotic talk
- More formal and less common in everyday speech; it can sound more literary.
- sexting
- Specifically refers to sending sexually explicit messages electronically, not speaking.
Commonly confused: dirty talk or small talk?
dirty talk vs small talk
Small talk is light conversation about unimportant topics; it has no sexual meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dirty talk' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Dirty talk' is uncountable and refers to sexually explicit speech, so 'engaged in dirty talk' fits. The other options treat it as a countable event or use it in unrelated contexts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dirty talk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.