talk over

Meanings

1. 1verbphrasal verb

   To discuss a matter fully with someone before deciding what to do.

   Grammar: Separable: talk the plan over, or talk it over. Use a pronoun in the middle.

   Patterns

   • talk something over
   • talk something over with someone

   Let's talk it over tonight before we accept the offer.

   She wanted to talk the move over with her parents first.

   They talked over their options for hours but made no decision.

2. 2verbphrasal verb

   To speak while another person is already speaking, making it hard for them to be heard.

   Grammar: Not separable: talk over someone, never talk someone over, for this meaning.

   Patterns

   • talk over someone

   Please don't talk over the speaker; wait until the question time.

   He kept talking over his colleagues and nobody could finish a point.

   The host talked over the guest and cut off her answer.

Word forms

Common combinations

talk over a problem

We should talk over the problem calmly.

talk it over with a friend

Talk it over with a friend before you decide.

talk over each other

The panelists kept talking over each other.

talk over the music

We had to talk over the music to be heard.

Synonyms and how they differ

discuss

Discuss is more formal and does not separate, while talk over is warm and conversational.

hash out

Hash out suggests working through a disagreement in detail, whereas talk over is milder.

interrupt

Interrupt means breaking in, but talk over means overlapping with someone who is still speaking.

Opposites

Word family

talk verb

to speak

talk through verb

to go through something step by step in discussion

talkover noun

speech laid over other audio

talkative adjective

fond of talking

Commonly confused: talk over or talk round?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “talk over”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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