speak for
Britishverb
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to speak as a representative of (other people)
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to be so evident that no further comment is necessary
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informal (used as an imperative) do not presume that other people agree with you
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Intercede for, recommend, as in He spoke for the young applicant, commending her honesty . [c. 1300]
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Express the views of, as in I can't speak for my husband but I'd love to accept , or I don't care what Harry thinks—Speak for yourself, Joe . [c. 1300]
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speak for itself . Be significant or self-evident, as in They haven't called us in months, and that speaks for itself . [Second half of 1700s]
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spoken for . Ordered, engaged, or reserved, as in This lot of rugs is already spoken for , or Is this dance spoken for? This usage comes from the older verb, bespeak , meaning “to order.” [Late 1600s]
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.
The results in this series speak for themselves.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
The Fed should commit to a policy rule and let the data on AI productivity speak for itself.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
These masterpieces speak for themselves, but they can tell us only so much about the Celts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
“Abeoji went back to military headquarters today to speak for Sunjin and his mother, and to complain about what has been happening in Seosan,” his mother replied.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
