1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To persuade someone to change their mind or agree with you, especially when they were initially reluctant.
"She didn't want to go to the party, but her friends finally talked her round."
separable
talk round
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To persuade someone to agree with you, or to discuss a topic without addressing it directly.
In plain English
To convince someone who didn't want to agree, or to keep talking about a subject without ever saying the main point.
What does "talk round" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To discuss a subject in a vague or indirect way, avoiding the main point.
"He spent ten minutes talking round the issue without ever explaining what had actually gone wrong."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To talk around/in a circle around something or someone.
Actually means
To convince someone who didn't want to agree, or to keep talking about a subject without ever saying the main point.
Usage tip
Primarily British English. Sense 1 (persuade) is separable: 'talk someone round.' Sense 2 (avoid the topic) is inseparable. Sense 1 is the more common usage.
Words that pair with "talk round"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
eventually finally subject issue reluctant sceptic
How to conjugate "talk round"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
talk round
I/you/we/they
3rd person
talks round
he/she/it
Past simple
talked round
yesterday
Past participle
talked round
have + pp
-ing form
talking round
continuous
Hear "talk round" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "talk round" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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