speak volumes

Idioms  

1. Be significant, indicate a great deal, as in That house of theirs speaks volumes about their income. This idiom uses volumes in the sense of “the information contained in volumes of books.” [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

speak volumes

People can say anything, but their actions speak volumes.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

"It happened without any prior warning. Pictures speak volumes."

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

And I think that that silence really does speak volumes.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025

Failing to capitalize once more and finishing winless on the road trip would speak volumes.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

Two letters have passed between these parties, letters which are admitted to be in the handwriting of the defendant, and which speak volumes, indeed.

From The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens