What does discuss mean?
To discuss is to talk something through with others — to consider it aloud, weigh its parts, and exchange views, whether casually between friends or formally around a boardroom table. It is one of the most versatile verbs in English: we discuss budgets, books, feelings, and plans alike, and the word itself carries no particular warmth or hostility beyond what the context supplies. Grammatically, discuss takes a direct object without a preposition, so we say 'we discussed the proposal', never 'we discussed about the proposal'. The word derives from the Latin discutere, meaning to strike apart or shatter, which survives faintly in its older sense of examining a matter by breaking it down. Its noun form, discussion, is among the most frequently used abstract nouns in professional and academic English, making discuss essential vocabulary for anyone writing or speaking about collaborative thought.
verbTo talk about something with another person or group in order to exchange ideas, examine it, or reach a decision.
- To talk about (something) with someone in order to exchange views, examine it, or reach a decision.
- (Archaic) To examine or investigate thoroughly; to shake apart or disperse.
"The committee met on Tuesday to discuss the proposed budget cuts."
"We should discuss the plan before committing to any deadline."
"In her lecture she discussed the influence of Roman law on modern legal systems."
The word 'discuss' literally meant 'to smash apart' in Latin — every discussion is an act of breaking a question into pieces.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of discuss
Discuss comes from the Latin discutere, formed from dis- ('apart') and quatere ('to shake or strike'), originally meaning to shatter or scatter by striking. By Late Latin it had developed the figurative sense of examining or investigating a matter thoroughly, and English adopted the word in the early 16th century from this learned usage. It shares its root with related Latinate words such as discussion, discourse, and concussion, all ultimately tracing back to the same verb of shaking or striking.
Related word forms
How discuss is actually used
Discuss is a neutral verb suitable for both formal and everyday registers. It takes a direct object ('discuss the issue'), not 'discuss about' — this is a common learner error.
Easily confused with discuss
Disgust is a feeling of revulsion, whereas discuss means to talk something over; they share a similar opening but entirely different meanings.