speak
verb (used without object)
to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk.
Jump To:
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speak
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-speak
-speaka combining form extracted from newspeak (coined by George Orwell in his novel,1984 ), used in the formation of compound words, usually derogatory, derisive, or facetious, that denote the style or vocabulary of a discipline, person, era, etc., as specified by the initial element.
speak
1 American
[speek]
/ spik /
verb (used without object)
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speaks,
present (3rd person singular)
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spoke,
past
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spake,
past (Archaic)
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spoken,
past participle
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speaking
present participle
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to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk.
He was too ill to speak.
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to communicate vocally; mention.
to speak to a person about various matters.
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to converse.
She spoke with him for an hour.
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to deliver an address, discourse, etc..
to speak at a meeting.
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to make a statement in written or printed words.
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to communicate, signify, or disclose something by any means; convey significance.
The voters have spoken loud and clear.
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Phonetics. to produce sounds or audible sequences of individual or concatenated sounds of a language, especially through phonation, amplification, and resonance, and through any of a variety of articulatory processes.
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(of a computer) to express data or other information audibly by means of an audio response unit.
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to emit a sound, as a musical instrument; make a noise or report.
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Chiefly British. (of dogs) to bark when ordered.
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Fox Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to bay on finding a scent.
verb (used with object)
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speaks,
present (3rd person singular)
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spoke,
past
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spake,
past (Archaic)
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spoken,
past participle
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speaking
present participle
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to utter vocally and articulately.
to speak words of praise.
- Synonyms:
- articulate, pronounce
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to express or make known with the voice.
to speak the truth.
- Synonyms:
- say
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to declare in writing or printing, or by any means of communication.
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to make known, indicate, or reveal.
- Synonyms:
- disclose
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to use, or be able to use, in oral utterance, as a language.
to speak French.
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(of a computer) to express or make known (data, prompts, etc.) by means of an audio response unit.
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Nautical. to communicate with (a passing vessel) at sea, as by voice or signal.
We spoke a whaler on the fourth day at sea.
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Archaic. to speak to or with.
verb phrase
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speak out to express one's opinion openly and unreservedly.
He was not afraid to speak out when it was something he believed in strongly.
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speak for
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to intercede for or recommend; speak in behalf of.
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to express or articulate the views of; represent.
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to choose or prefer; have reserved for oneself.
This item is already spoken for.
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speak to
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to address or respond to, as in speech or action.
The legislature must speak to the issue of gun violence.
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to be appealing or relevant to.
His music speaks to me on a very deep level.
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to provide evidence for.
Our company’s rapid growth speaks to the passion and commitment of our employees.
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idioms
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speak well for, to be an indication or reflection of (something commendable); testify admirably to.
Her manners speak well for her upbringing.
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to speak of, worth mentioning.
The country has no mineral resources to speak of.
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so to speak, to use a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking.
We still don't have our heads above water, so to speak.
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speak by the book, to say with great authority or precision.
I can't speak by the book, but I know this is wrong.
-speak
2
American
speak
1
British
/ spiːk /
verb
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to make (verbal utterances); utter (words)
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to communicate or express (something) in or as if in words
I speak the truth
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(intr) to deliver a speech, discourse, etc
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(tr) to know how to talk in (a language or dialect)
he does not speak German
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(intr) to make a characteristic sound
the clock spoke
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(intr) (of dogs, esp hounds used in hunting) to give tongue; bark
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(tr) nautical to hail and converse or communicate with (another vessel) at sea
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(intr) (of a musical instrument) to produce a sound
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to be a representative or advocate (of)
he speaks for all the members
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on good terms; friendly
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in a manner of speaking; as it were
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to express one's opinions frankly and plainly
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of a significant or worthwhile nature
we have had no support to speak of
-speak
2
British
suffix
speak
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of speak? Speak means to talk, to give a lecture or speech, or to use your voice to say something. The word speak has many other senses as a verb and is used in several idioms. Speak is a synonym of talk and means to use words and sounds to communicate. When humans speak with each other, we use language governed by rules to understand each other. Some birds, such as parrots and ravens, are able to imitate human voices. While they don’t actually understand the words they use, we still say these animals are able to speak.
- Real-life examples: It is very unlikely that you never speak to people. Some people use sign language to communicate because they are unable to speak. If you have a cold or sore throat, it is harder to speak.
- Used in a sentence: My throat hurts, so I am having trouble speaking.
- Used in a sentence: I was in the audience when the president spoke at our college.
- Real-life examples: Witnesses at trials are expected to speak the truth. In the past, in many countries it was often dangerous to speak against God or the country’s religion. People from France speak French.
- Used in a sentence: I knew the right answer, but I was too nervous to speak the words.
What does -speak mean? The combining form -speak is used like a suffix meaning “a way of talking” or "a variety of language." Often, it has a derogatory, or negative, connotation. It is occasionally used in a variety of informal or slang terms. The form -speak is derived from the word newspeak, from George Orwell's book 1984 (1949). Newspeak is the term Orwell coined to describe the way official language often "say[s] one thing in the guise of its opposite, especially in order to serve a political or ideological cause while pretending to be objective." Put simply, it is language used for propaganda, such as describing a forced labor camp as a "joycamp."
Synonym Usage
Speak, converse, talk mean to make vocal sounds, usually for purposes of communication. To speak often implies conveying information and may apply to anything from an informal remark to a scholarly presentation to a formal address: to speak sharply; to speak before Congress. To converse is to exchange ideas with someone by speaking: to converse with a friend. To talk is a close synonym for to speak but usually refers to less formal situations: to talk about the weather; to talk with a friend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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speaksimple
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speakssimple
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have spokenperfect
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has spokenperfect
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am speakingprogressive
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are speakingprogressive
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is speakingprogressive
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have been speakingperfect progressive
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has been speakingperfect progressive
Past
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spakesimple
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spokesimple
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had spokenperfect
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was speakingprogressive
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were speakingprogressive
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had been speakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of speak
First recorded before 900; Middle English speken, Old English specan, variant of sprecan; cognate with German sprechen ( Old High German sprehhan; compare variant spehhan )
Explanation
To speak is to talk. If a UFO lands in your yard, it will be easier to speak with the aliens if they've learned how to speak English — or if you know how to speak Martian. You can speak to your friend about something private, but you can also speak at the paleontology enthusiasts' convention, presenting your thoughts on the latest dinosaur discoveries. If you speak Spanish or Hindi, it means you are able to communicate in those languages, and if you speak for yourself, it means you offer your own opinions.
Vocabulary lists containing speak
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You can imagine that someone like Loomer, who doesn’t speak Ukrainian, has never been there, wouldn’t know where to begin.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Thirty years ago, I would speak to you, and it’s up to you to report or to spread the news to someone else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Law professor Tracey Maclin of the University of Florida told AFP that if the Senate panel had truly wanted Fauci to speak frankly, they would have offered him immunity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
“It seems to still be an important topic for women to hear other women speak about,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
We both feared it, I know we did, but did not dare speak of it.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
As he speaks, multiple Starlink devices -- part of the constellation of thousands of internet satellites launched by US tycoon Elon Musk's SpaceX -- float by on the control room screens.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
USC football coach Lincoln Riley, left, speaks to the media in the team room at the Bloom Football Performance Center on Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
He rocks black frames and speaks carefully, as if choosing his words from a mental teleprompter.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
To his mind, the demand for Success Academy speaks to a need to fix traditional K-12 schools, which won’t ever be as nimble as other options.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
That’s when the gamer kid closer to me—I think his name is Jackson?— speaks up.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Thus spake one of the world’s most powerful men this week, after he gained more power still.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2022
Thus spake Martin Luther King Jr. at the end of the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2020
For instance, thus spake the tree: “253! Time and time again! Bob! Go now!”
From The Guardian ● May 22, 2017
Thus spake Zarathustra He humbly said you listen to me and choose for yourself.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2016
Mr. Wheeler spake of Miss Joan; Mr. Bullock of Mrs. B. We all wished in that Moment to be with those we loved & held most enshrined in our Hearts.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
When the BBC spoke to shoppers in central London this week, the retailer seemed to divide opinion.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Former New York City tow-truck driver Ed Seabron knew he had ruffled some feathers when, in 2021, he resigned from New York City’s largest municipal union and spoke to colleagues about alternate union representation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
And the way that it resonated with me when he said it, the way it went straight to my heart, I knew if I spoke it as simply, it would speak to other people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
According to one former CIA officer, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the group is one of the few institutions in Cuba's government with an interest in abandoning the decades-old communist economic model.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Other spirits gave up raps altogether; instead, their mediums spoke aloud in spirit languages.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He also privately approached Neil Patrick Harris to apologize for aggressively trying to out him as a gay man in 2006, before the actor had spoken about his sexuality publicly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In recent months, he’s posted about the Bible, launched a religious merch line and spoken about his religious awakening on the podcast circuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Jenner has often spoken about the pain of all this attention and her desire to step back to protect her children.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
It described sworn testimony from the so-called talent agent that he had never spoken to either Griffin or the Jane Doe, whom the lawsuit names as Joleene Altum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Will our presence here in this land only be spoken about in secret?
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Gloria, vamping and posing and speaking exclusively in italics, is a semi-ridiculous figure who nevertheless gives the otherwise all-male club the sparkle it needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
This is a social-networking app where you can message people and practice speaking whatever language you want.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
He has continued this crusade, recently endorsing a $20 minimum wage and speaking out against the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Norgaard said he was "very intrigued" about the project after speaking to manager David Moyes, adding: "Coming here just makes that feeling even stronger."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
“We don’t have the money now,” I admit, glancing quickly at Theo to make sure I’m speaking correctly—I can’t imagine he would carry this kind of money on his person.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
