'Discuss Something' or 'Discuss about Something'? Which One Is Correct? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 31 October 2024)

Discuss or Discuss About: Which One Is Correct?

Discuss is a transitive verb, and therefore it takes a direct object. It is never used with the preposition about:

✅ We should discuss this topic.
❌ We should discuss about this topic.

✅ Let's discuss the pros and cons of playing video games.
❌ Let's discuss about the pros and cons of playing video games.

✅ He has already discussed this problem with his lawyer.
❌ He has already discussed about this problem with his lawyer.

✅ I discussed with my family how we are going to handle the crisis together.
❌ I discussed with my family about how we are going to handle the crisis together.

Instead of discuss something, you can also say have a discussion about something or talk about something:

✅ We should have a discussion about this topic.
✅ We should talk about this topic.

✅ Let's have a discussion about the pros and cons of playing video games.
✅ Let's talk about the pros and cons of playing video games.

✅ He has already had a discussion about this problem with his lawyer.
✅ He has already talked about this problem with his lawyer.

✅ I had a discussion with my family about how we are going to handle the crisis together.
✅ I talked with my family about how we are going to handle the crisis together.

You can use about with the noun discussion, but not the verb discuss.

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Examples from the Media

Cabinet will meet early Monday morning to discuss easing COVID-19 restrictions in the province, sources say. —Toronto Star (2022)

An attempted coup led by former party chairman Grant Shapps has fizzled out, but the Sunday Times claimed that at least three cabinet ministers had discussed the need to replace the prime minister on Thursday evening, the day after her conference calamity. —The Guardian (2017)

There has been much discussion about the feasibility of an isolation policy with the aim of reducing the spread of Covid-19. —South China Morning Post (2022)

Overall, migration accounts for about 46 per cent of Sydney's growth. So we should not ignore a discussion about whether our overseas immigration levels are set at the right levels or geographically well-targeted. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2018)

Real-World Examples of Misuse

1. The verb discuss is never used with the preposition about.
2. The noun conversation is countable when it refers to a talk between two or more people. The indefinite article a is required.
(Source: Iris Chung, Modern Education)

The addition of with the queen does not change the fact that discuss about is incorrect.
(Source: St. Paul's Co-educational College Primary School)
(Also by the Same School: 1/2/3)

1. Adding the word topic after discussion makes the sentence more focused on the subject of the discussion.
2. Discuss is a transitive verb and should be followed directly by the object (the topic) without the preposition on.
3. Homeless sleeper is not a common term and may cause confusion. More commonly understood terms include homeless person and street sleeper.
(Also by the Same Tutor: 1)

1. Using the present continuous tense is more natural in this context because what the school is doing—offering more LWL classes—is an action that spans a range of time this year.
2. Adding a before few days ago corrects the grammatical structure. A few days ago is the standard expression for indicating a small number of days in the past.
3. The verb discuss is transitive and typically requires a direct object to complete its meaning. Adding this provides a direct object, clarifying that something specific—presumably the school offering more LWL classes this year—was discussed.
4. The subject I is already understood from the earlier part of the sentence, making the additional I unnecessary.
5. A nightmare for me is the idiomatic expression indicating that the experience was negative from the writer's perspective.
6. When using only with few, always include the article a. The correct phrase is only a few choices, not only few choices.
7. The phrase to choose from is implied, and removing it avoids redundancy while maintaining the intended meaning.
(Source: Evangel College)
(Also by the Same School: 1)