speak
verb (used without object)
to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk.
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:
"This is a time when we really need to hear what's happening," Erik Slavin said, adding that Pentagon officials appeared to be "less and less inclined to speak on the record".
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Fed Chairman Warsh is due to speak at the Kansas City Fed’s annual Jackson Hole symposium, which takes place between Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 and will see a number of major central bank speakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Warsh will speak at the Fed’s summer retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyo., next Friday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Brooks is letting the selections speak for themselves, offering up the movies he loved without feeling the need to make a case for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Many of those suffering from the disease never see or speak to their families again.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
This ongoing appreciation of silent movies speaks to a common craving for simple communal appreciation of analog pleasures.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
As an establishment that has long provided first jobs for young people, the watering hole also speaks to one of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s toughest economic challenges: getting young Britons into work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“There’s indecision, and catching a baseball at your ankles kind of speaks to where his head is at right now,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
But also credit a team of Norwegian shipwrights and sailors who built a vessel that speaks to both history and Hollywood.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
But Josefina Veluya—the little girl playing make-believe—has stories of her own, ones where God speaks to her and tells her what to do.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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 Kanye West to his wife, Kim Kardashian West, and, via the bully pulpit of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” to all of us.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2018
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
He having heard my entreaty, Mr. Turner barely spake to me, but asked me to play him something upon my violin.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
People who spoke more languages tended to have younger-looking brains, and the effect also appeared stronger among those who learned another language earlier and became more proficient.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
The senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Canada had sought additional concessions that the United States was unable to provide.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Among people who spoke four languages, the difference grew to roughly 13 years.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Earlier this year, the actress shared on a podcast that Neutrogena wanted to end her longtime endorsement work for the brand after she spoke candidly in 2015 about her postpartum depression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Uncle suddenly burst out, banging his fist on the table as he spoke.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Once when young, Sorcinelli met the former Robert Prevost -- the birth name of Pope Leo -- then just an Augustinian priest, but the men have not spoken since, he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
My daughter hasn’t spoken to me in four years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
People who have spoken to him in recent months say the prince has seemed increasingly wistful about his homeland and is optimistic about how he is viewed there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Children’s book author Phil Bildner wrote in a separate Threads post on Tuesday that he has spoken with Threets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
White Mountains was run by Jack Byrne, a member of Warren Buffett’s inner circle, and they had spoken to Gotham Capital.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
They also hope to explore whether speaking two or more closely related languages could produce an even stronger effect.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
While German officials did not disclose the suspect's nationality, the Romanian police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was one of the two young Ukrainians arrested in October.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Undocumented residents don’t enjoy the same legal rights as citizens, and deporting someone is a much lower lift, legally speaking, than prosecuting someone for a crime they didn’t commit.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Interviewing prisoners of war is not straightforward: to be sure they are not being coerced, first and foremost, and then to assess how openly they are speaking in the circumstances.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I can tell you now that it was an arctic fox whose fur, generally speaking, is as white as snow, making it extremely difficult to spot in the winter.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
