1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To calm someone who is in a state of crisis or danger by speaking to them.
"The police negotiator spent two hours talking the man down from the rooftop."
separable
talk down
B2 neutral separable transitive
To persuade someone in a dangerous or distressed situation to calm down, or to reduce a price through negotiation.
In plain English
To calm someone who is very upset or in danger by talking to them, or to get someone to lower their price.
What does "talk down" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To persuade someone to lower a price in a negotiation.
"She managed to talk the dealer down by £500 on the asking price."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To disparage or speak negatively about something, reducing its perceived value.
"Stop talking down the project — the team worked really hard on it."
separable
Usage tip
The crisis intervention sense is common in journalism and dramatic contexts ('talked down from a ledge'). The negotiating sense ('talk the price down') is common in business and consumer contexts. Distinct from 'talk down to,' which implies condescension.
Words that pair with "talk down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
price ledge pilot negotiation crisis cost
How to conjugate "talk down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
talk down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
talks down
he/she/it
Past simple
talked down
yesterday
Past participle
talked down
have + pp
-ing form
talking down
continuous
Hear "talk down" in the wild
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Other ways to say "talk down"
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