speak up
Britishverb
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to speak more loudly
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to state one's beliefs, objections, etc, bravely and firmly
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Also, speak out . Talk loudly, so as to be heard, as in Speak up, child, I can't hear you , or He should speak out so that those in back can hear him . The first term dates from the early 1700s, the variant from the early 1500s.
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Also, speak up for . Express one's opinion or one's support for someone or something. For example, When it comes to speaking up about the town's needs, you can rely on Mary , or I'm glad you spoke up for me in that meeting . [c. 1700]
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.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
He posted Tuesday that "artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed."
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I can’t speak up, and I can’t fight for what I believe,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Considered alongside its stars’ tragically brief lives, “Ice Princess” conveys the critical need to give teenagers both stalwart encouragement and the tools to speak up when they need help.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
So for once she decided to speak up.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
