something opposite or contrary.
Logic.
a proposition obtained from another proposition by conversion.
the relation between two terms, one of which is related to the other in a given manner, as “younger than” to “older than.”
a group of words correlative with a preceding group but having a significant pair of terms interchanged, as “hot in winter but cold in summer” and “cold in winter but hot in summer.”
to engage in conversation (with)
to commune spiritually (with)
obsolete
to associate; consort
to have sexual intercourse
conversation (often in the phrase hold converse with )
obsolete
fellowship or acquaintance
sexual intercourse
something that is opposite or contrary
logic
a categorical proposition obtained from another by the transposition of subject and predicate, as no bad man is bald from no bald man is bad
a proposition so derived, possibly by weakening a universal proposition to the corresponding particular, as some socialists are rich from all rich men are socialists
logic maths a relation that holds between two relata only when a given relation holds between them in reverse order: thus father of is the converse of son of
See speak.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English conversen, from Middle French converser, from Latin conversārī “to associate with”; see con-, verse
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English convers, from Anglo-French or directly from Latin conversus, past participle of convertere “to turn around,” equivalent to con- “with, together” + vert- “to turn” + -tus past participle suffix; cf. convert 1
Converse is a more formal way of saying "carry on a conversation." You could converse with your best friend for hours over lunch, but continue the chit-chat through the afternoon matinee and you might get shushed. Oddly enough, converse was originally a verb meaning “to move about, live or dwell” when it first came into existence in the mid 14th century. But today we only use converse to talk about, well, talking. Quipped the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “When marrying, one should ask oneself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this woman into your old age?” A good question for marrying men and women!
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A lot of the time, these folks converse like they’re at a Nantucket board of health meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
A Reddit-like pseudo social network for OpenClaw agents called Moltbook, where chatbots converse, has also grabbed headlines and provoked soul-searching over AI.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
AI chatbots like ChatGPT learned to converse, make music, generate images, and write code by using all the information they could get from the internet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
In a converse way, Kay and Down’s reluctance to be so clean, so shiny and so heteronormative with their characters is just as forward-thinking as any media that conjures a conventional picture of equality.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
But to Falconer I was apparently no more than an unskilled and incompetent prentice, not fit to converse with or share a room with.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Authorities also found a Converse Chuck Taylor shoe impression on the edge of the roof of the building from which the gunman fired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
However, Alex did have to wear her Converse trainers across before changing into her wedding shoes, and gave strict instructions for friends and family.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
For its fiscal fourth quarter, which runs through May, Nike expects sales to fall 2% to 4%, weighed down by weaker trends in its Converse segment and difficulties in China, whose economy has been shaky.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
Converse brand revenue fell 30% from a year ago, also weighing on topline growth.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
Our Converse at these Times is exceeding Diverting; him relating curious Stories of Animals or Roman Iniquity, & me relating Tales of the Village, the Cooperage, & the Mill.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Sometimes she converses with its voice assistant while driving her car.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Convinced that Nancy is a cipher for her own lost youth, Myrtle intermittently hallucinates the dead girl’s ghost, and even converses with it.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
Eugenie says she converses with others through the food she makes.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024
Rizzs listened to all the games he’s missed on radio or watched on television, and converses knowledgeable about the recent outings of Bryce Miller and Logan Gilbert.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Their waiter stops at their table and converses briefly with Widget, paying no notice to the man in the grey suit.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Dong Jun, and Hegseth both attended the Xi-Trump summit in Beijing and conversed at a state banquet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The four last defendants - including one woman - are people with whom Anzorov conversed on Snapchat and Twitter and who allegedly offered him encouragement.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2024
The actor conversed with Evans in anticipation of his upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “Bad Monkey.”
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2024
As they conversed over the text console, Remi watched from the middle of the theater, closing her left eye again and again.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2024
She would not begin to be afraid now, she who had stared down a bear and conversed easily with a runaway slave.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Before her departure, Keyser appeared in the first 20 minutes of Thursday's episode, conversing with one of the male contestants before appearing briefly in two further non-speaking scenes.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
AI is the first invention humans have made that can simulate the process of thinking and conversing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The lion’s share of his menu drawings were completed in the two to three hours that he spent enjoying his meal and conversing with his dining companions.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Hutchins was conversing with Baldwin to set up a camera angle that Hutchins wanted to depict: a close-up image of the barrel of Baldwin’s revolver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
I replied that Pro Bono was my elder, and I felt it unseemly to speak when my betters were conversing.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
