talk
Americanverb (used without object)
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to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking.
to talk about poetry.
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to consult or confer.
Talk with your adviser.
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to spread a rumor or tell a confidence; gossip.
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to chatter or prate.
- Synonyms:
- prattle
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to employ speech; perform the act of speaking.
to talk very softly; to talk into a microphone.
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to deliver a speech, lecture, etc..
The professor talked on the uses of comedy in the tragedies of Shakespeare.
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to give or reveal confidential or incriminating information.
After a long interrogation, the spy finally talked.
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to communicate ideas by means other than speech, as by writing, signs, or signals.
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Computers. to transmit data, as between computers or between a computer and a terminal.
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to make sounds imitative or suggestive of speech.
verb (used with object)
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to express in words; utter.
to talk sense.
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to use (a specified language or idiom) in speaking or conversing.
They talk French together for practice.
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to discuss.
to talk politics.
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Informal. (used only in progressive tenses) to focus on; signify or mean; talk about.
This isn't a question of a few hundred dollars—we're talking serious money.
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to bring, put, drive, influence, etc., by talk.
to talk a person to sleep; to talk a person into doing something.
noun
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the act of talking; speech; conversation, especially of a familiar or informal kind.
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an informal speech or lecture.
- Synonyms:
- confabulation , parley , dialogue , colloquy
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a conference or negotiating session.
peace talks.
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report or rumor; gossip.
There is a lot of talk going around about her.
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a subject or occasion of talking, especially of gossip.
Your wild escapades are the talk of the neighborhood.
- Synonyms:
- prattle
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mere empty speech.
That's just a lot of talk.
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a way of talking.
a halting, lisping talk.
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language, dialect, or lingo.
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signs or sounds imitative or suggestive of speech, as the noise made by loose parts in a mechanism.
verb phrase
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talk over
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to weigh in conversation; consider; discuss.
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to cause (someone) to change an opinion; convince by talking.
He became an expert at talking people over to his views.
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talk up
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to promote interest in; discuss enthusiastically.
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to speak without hesitation; speak distinctly and openly.
If you don't talk up now, you may not get another chance.
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talk back to reply to a command, request, etc., in a rude or disrespectful manner.
Her father never allowed them to talk back.
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talk down
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to overwhelm by force of argument or by loud and persistent talking; subdue by talking.
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to speak disparagingly of; belittle.
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Also talk in. to give instructions to by radio for a ground-controlled landing, especially to a pilot who is unable to make a conventional landing because of snow, fog, etc.
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talk out
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to talk until conversation is exhausted.
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to attempt to reach a settlement or understanding by discussion.
We arrived at a compromise by talking out the problem.
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British Politics. to thwart the passage of (a bill, motion, etc.) by prolonging discussion until the session of Parliament adjourns.
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talk down to to speak condescendingly to; patronize.
Children dislike adults who talk down to them.
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talk at
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to talk to in a manner that indicates that a response is not expected or wanted.
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to direct remarks meant for one person to another person present; speak indirectly to.
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talk of to debate as a possibility; discuss.
The two companies have been talking of a merger.
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talk around to bring (someone) over to one's way of thinking; persuade.
She sounded adamant over the phone, but I may still be able to talk her around.
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talk away to spend or consume (time) in talking.
We talked away the tedious hours in the hospital.
idioms
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talk to death,
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to impede or prevent the passage of (a bill) through filibustering.
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to talk to incessantly or at great length.
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talk big, to speak boastingly; brag.
He always talked big, but never amounted to anything.
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talk someone's head / ear off, to bore or weary someone by excessive talk; talk incessantly.
All I wanted was a chance to read my book, but my seatmate talked my ear off.
verb
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(intr; often foll by to or with) to express one's thoughts, feelings, or desires by means of words (to); speak (to)
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(intr) to communicate or exchange thoughts by other means
lovers talk with their eyes
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to exchange ideas, pleasantries, or opinions (about)
to talk about the weather
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(intr) to articulate words; verbalize
his baby can talk
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(tr) to give voice to; utter
to talk rubbish
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(tr) to hold a conversation about; discuss
to talk business
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(intr) to reveal information
the prisoner talked after torture
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(tr) to know how to communicate in (a language or idiom)
he talks English
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(intr) to spread rumours or gossip
we don't want the neighbours to talk
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(intr) to make sounds suggestive of talking
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(intr) to be effective or persuasive
money talks
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informal at last you're saying something agreeable
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to boast or brag
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to speak about one's work, esp when meeting socially, sometimes with the effect of excluding those not similarly employed
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to speak convincingly on a particular subject, showing apparent mastery of its jargon and themes; often used in combination with the expression walk the walk See also walk
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informal you don't have to worry about doing a particular thing yourself
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informal you yourself are guilty of offending in the very matter you are decrying
noun
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a speech or lecture
a talk on ancient Rome
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an exchange of ideas or thoughts
a business talk with a colleague
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idle chatter, gossip, or rumour
there has been a lot of talk about you two
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a subject of conversation; theme
our talk was of war
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(often plural) a conference, discussion, or negotiation
talks about a settlement
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a specific manner of speaking
children's talk
Usage
What is a basic definition of talk? Talk means to use speech in order to communicate or exchange ideas. Talk also means to gossip. As a noun talk refers to a conversation. Talk has many other senses as both a verb and a noun.When you talk, you use spoken language to communicate rather than gestures or written words. People talk to each other every day when they have chats, tell jokes, argue, or negotiate.
- Real-life examples: You talked to someone today if you spoke to them about something. It is common for people to talk to each other over the phone or by using live video. People often get lonely when they have no one to talk to.
- Used in a sentence: When Juan talked to his parents about his grades, he felt better.
- Used in a sentence: The mysterious new building on the edge of town got people talking about what it would be used for.
- Used in a sentence: There’s talk around the studio that the director is working on a secret movie project.
- Used in a sentence: I had a serious talk with my daughter about sneaking animals into the house.
Related Words
See speak.
Other Word Forms
- intertalk verb (used without object)
- nontalker noun
- overtalk verb
- talkability noun
- talkable adjective
- talker noun
- undertalk noun
- untalking adjective
Etymology
Origin of talk
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English talk(i)en “to converse, speak,” derivative (with -k suffix) of tale “speech, discourse,” tale; cognate with Frisian (eastern dialect) talken
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.
It was the talk of the town, an opera with a little something for everyone, an opera that that stands for something culturally, spiritually and ethically.
From Los Angeles Times
“I need to talk to you, it’s important. Can we get together?”
From Salon
“Remained in bed entire day. Still refuses to talk to anyone.”
From Salon
Even talking about it now, I still get shivers.
From BBC
In that capacity, he has often talked up or defended the president’s moves on trade or on other economic issues.
From MarketWatch
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.
