speak
verb (used without object)
to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk.
Showing results for speak.
Search instead for
ClipLeak.
Jump To:
-
speak
-
-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)
-
speaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spoke,
past
-
spake,
past (Archaic)
-
spoken,
past participle
-
speaking
present participle
-
to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk.
He was too ill to speak.
-
to communicate vocally; mention.
to speak to a person about various matters.
-
to converse.
She spoke with him for an hour.
-
to deliver an address, discourse, etc..
to speak at a meeting.
-
to make a statement in written or printed words.
-
to communicate, signify, or disclose something by any means; convey significance.
The voters have spoken loud and clear.
-
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.
-
(of a computer) to express data or other information audibly by means of an audio response unit.
-
to emit a sound, as a musical instrument; make a noise or report.
-
Chiefly British. (of dogs) to bark when ordered.
-
Fox Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to bay on finding a scent.
verb (used with object)
-
speaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spoke,
past
-
spake,
past (Archaic)
-
spoken,
past participle
-
speaking
present participle
-
to utter vocally and articulately.
to speak words of praise.
- Synonyms:
- articulate, pronounce
-
to express or make known with the voice.
to speak the truth.
- Synonyms:
- say
-
to declare in writing or printing, or by any means of communication.
-
to make known, indicate, or reveal.
- Synonyms:
- disclose
-
to use, or be able to use, in oral utterance, as a language.
to speak French.
-
(of a computer) to express or make known (data, prompts, etc.) by means of an audio response unit.
-
Nautical. to communicate with (a passing vessel) at sea, as by voice or signal.
We spoke a whaler on the fourth day at sea.
-
Archaic. to speak to or with.
verb phrase
-
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.
-
speak for
-
to intercede for or recommend; speak in behalf of.
-
to express or articulate the views of; represent.
-
to choose or prefer; have reserved for oneself.
This item is already spoken for.
-
-
speak to
-
to address or respond to, as in speech or action.
The legislature must speak to the issue of gun violence.
-
to be appealing or relevant to.
His music speaks to me on a very deep level.
-
to provide evidence for.
Our company’s rapid growth speaks to the passion and commitment of our employees.
-
idioms
-
speak well for, to be an indication or reflection of (something commendable); testify admirably to.
Her manners speak well for her upbringing.
-
to speak of, worth mentioning.
The country has no mineral resources to speak of.
-
so to speak, to use a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking.
We still don't have our heads above water, so to speak.
-
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
-
to make (verbal utterances); utter (words)
-
to communicate or express (something) in or as if in words
I speak the truth
-
(intr) to deliver a speech, discourse, etc
-
(tr) to know how to talk in (a language or dialect)
he does not speak German
-
(intr) to make a characteristic sound
the clock spoke
-
(intr) (of dogs, esp hounds used in hunting) to give tongue; bark
-
(tr) nautical to hail and converse or communicate with (another vessel) at sea
-
(intr) (of a musical instrument) to produce a sound
-
to be a representative or advocate (of)
he speaks for all the members
-
on good terms; friendly
-
in a manner of speaking; as it were
-
to express one's opinions frankly and plainly
-
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
-
speaksimple
-
speakssimple
-
have spokenperfect
-
has spokenperfect
-
am speakingprogressive
-
are speakingprogressive
-
is speakingprogressive
-
have been speakingperfect progressive
-
has been speakingperfect progressive
Past
-
spakesimple
-
spokesimple
-
had spokenperfect
-
was speakingprogressive
-
were speakingprogressive
-
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:
“It’s not a place of extremists but people were really inflamed,” Sosnoff says, noting that some people were reluctant to speak on camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He added that he would leave the decision to her, according to CNN, but said they would speak when he returned to the White House.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"If I don't speak today, no one will speak for me later," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
To Louisa and Miss Genovese, who didn’t speak French, he would have used the easy grade-school translation, maybe, the one for American ears.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Even when everyone speaks the same language, patients and doctors struggle to communicate about symptoms, treatment options, and risks.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
It also speaks to Antares’s preference for companies that aren’t reinventing the wheel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
McVay said that he would have an update on Garrett’s situation when he speaks with reporters Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Muhammed said that he speaks to his son Urfan once a week or every second week.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
“This girl speaks French,” she said to no one in particular.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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
Thus spake Zarathustra He humbly said you listen to me and choose for yourself.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2016
Thus spake Chris Morris’s ludicrously hostile Day Today news anchor, in an attack-dog interview with a woman who’d just raised “a pathetic amount of money” for charity with a jam festival.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2015
I spake to him in the strongest possible Terms of my Authority, and he seems much chastened & quieter.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
AFP spoke to teachers at several schools, including three in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, and pupils at one.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
On a recent afternoon from her home in New York, Cahn spoke more about the new season of “The Diplomat.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Chief political correspondent Josh Dawsey went back to his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, where the campus is booming but many students he spoke with are uneasy about their own economic futures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
BBC Newsbeat spoke to Street Fighter cast members Noah Centineo, Callina Liang and Andrew Koji to find out why they think the action movie can do the same.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Now Nils spoke in a low normal voice.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Detectives have spoken to Jackson’s relatives, who confirmed he was last seen visiting them in Arkansas in the early 1980s, Price said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s one reason federal law requires most providers to make healthcare communication meaningfully available in the language patients understand, via a human interpreter for spoken communication and a translator’s review for written information.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth and Trump had spoken before the announcement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
And those are just the ailments he and the Dodgers have spoken about publicly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“No word is spoken but ‘Gioconda,’” the Rome Tribune wrote.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
"She seemed to work a lot," commented another neighbor, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The company denied Sky’s voice was an imitation of Johansson, saying another professional actor used her own natural speaking voice for it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Beth Dobbin is so determined to raise awareness of the illness that has decimated her life that she is speaking out, despite knowing it could trigger a brutal deterioration in her health.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
But largely speaking, my view of him was positive.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Orion was chasing other dogs around, while Llewelyn was speaking Wild to the birds in the gazebo.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
