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

And I think that that silence really does speak volumes.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2025

Amid all the celebration, there are some notes of caution from campaigners that perhaps speak volumes about the reality of past let-downs.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

But yet, does not it speak volumes for the remoteness of this harbourage of repose to realise that the unseen musician is only now learning "The Honeysuckle and the Bee"?

From Impressions of a War Correspondent by George Lynch