on speaking terms
Idioms-
Friendly enough to exchange superficial remarks, as in We're on speaking terms with the new neighbors .
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Ready and willing to communicate, not alienated or estranged. For example, We are on speaking terms again after the quarrel . Both senses of this idiom commonly occur in the negative, as in Brett and his brother haven't been on speaking terms for years . The idiom was first recorded in 1786.
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.
A year after dropping “big bombs” on social media and torching their alliance, President Trump and Elon Musk are back on speaking terms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The report, citing unidentified sources, said the two had not been on speaking terms for "several weeks", with the Clippers believing Paul had become "disruptive."
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
"I don't really do hurt feelings very much ... but it's a big regret that Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2024
But that doesn’t mean he and Busch are back on speaking terms.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024
Already his two colonels were barely on speaking terms.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
