speaking

[ spee-king ]

/ ˈspi kɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: speaking / speakings on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act, utterance, or discourse of a person who speaks.

speakings, literary works composed for recitation, as ancient bardic poetry; oral literature.

adjective

that speaks.

used in, suited to, or involving speaking or talking: the speaking voice.

of or relating to declamation.

giving information as if by speech: a speaking proof of a thing.

highly expressive: speaking eyes.

lifelike: a speaking likeness.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for speaking

not on speaking terms, not or no longer in a relationship of open, willing, or ready communication, as because of resentment or estrangement: They had a squabble during the holidays, and now they're not on speaking terms.

on speaking terms,

in a relationship close enough for or limited to friendly superficialities: I don't know the hosts well, but we are certainly on speaking terms.
in a relationship of open, willing, or ready communication: Now that the debt has been settled, I hope you and your partner are on speaking terms again.

Origin of speaking

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at speak, -ing¹, -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM speaking

speak·ing·ly, adverbspeak·ing·ness, nounnon·speak·ing, adjectivewell-speaking, adjective

Words nearby speaking

speakeasy, speaker, Speaker of the House, speakerphone, speak for, speaking, speaking clock, speaking in tongues, speaking trumpet, speaking tube, speaking type

Example sentences from the Web for speaking

As physicians gain seniority, they may be hired for industry speaking engagements worth thousands of dollars, or paid six figures to sit on a company’s board.
My cancer might be back—and I wonder if unnecessary radiation caused it in the first place|jakemeth|September 22, 2020|Fortune
Shine Bootcamp offers a 6-week online public speaking workshop for women as well as ongoing resources.
Women in search: Why allies and networking are critical|Ginny Marvin|September 22, 2020|Search Engine Land
I don’t want this to become a speaking-out-against-him thing.
Former Pence aide says she will vote for Biden because of Trump’s ‘flat out disregard for human life’ during pandemic|Josh Dawsey|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
If you’d rather leave the speaking to others but don’t want to miss out on all the great search knowledge, you can register for the event here.
SMX is Coming to You in December 2020: Be a Part of it!|Kathy Bushman|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Land

Patrick devotes a lot of his time to helping the SEO community through his speaking engagements, the TechSEO Reddit sub-forum, the TechSEO Slack channel he runs and so much more.
Video: Patrick Stox on pagination, technical SEO & community|Barry Schwartz|August 17, 2020|Search Engine Land
Genetics alone does not an eating disorder make, generally speaking, and Bulik points out that environment still plays a role.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Speaking to a local radio station today Antonella Ramelli said the video gives her hope.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages|Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But this may be a distinction without much of a difference—especially since Scalise admitted speaking before EURO.
GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Mona Iraqi is responsible for 25 families losing their lives,” he said, speaking figuratively.
Sisi Is Persecuting, Prosecuting, and Publicly Shaming Egypt’s Gays|Bel Trew|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Speaking of the literature you love, the Bloomsbury writers crop up in your collection repeatedly.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Now I have a larger place for you," the boy said, speaking just as though Squinty could understand him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
We were speaking of the faculty of mimicry, and he told me such a funny little anecdote about Chopin.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The rightly cultivated expressive voice is the man—speaking.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
It is ordinarily considered that the range of the speaking voice is very limited as compared with the singer's range.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Broadly speaking, the new money will be altogether too good to meet this particular need.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips