spoken

[ spoh-kuh n ]

/ ˈspoʊ kən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spoken ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

a past participle of speak.

adjective

uttered or expressed by speaking; oral (opposed to written): the spoken word.

speaking, or using speech, as specified (usually used in combination): fair-spoken; plain-spoken; soft-spoken.

Nearby words

Definition for spoken (2 of 2)

speak

[ speek ]

/ spik /

verb (used without object), spoke or (Archaic) spake; spo·ken or (Archaic) spoke; speak·ing.

to utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; talk: He was too ill to speak.

to communicate vocally; mention: to speak to a person about various matters.

to converse: She spoke with him for an hour.

to deliver an address, discourse, etc.: to speak at a meeting.

to make a statement in written or printed words.

to communicate, signify, or disclose by any means; convey significance.

Phonetics. to produce sounds or audible sequences of individual or concatenated sounds of a language, especially through phonation, amplification, and resonance, and through any of a variety of articulatory processes.

(of a computer) to express data or other information audibly by means of an audio response unit.

to emit a sound, as a musical instrument; make a noise or report.

Chiefly British. (of dogs) to bark when ordered.

Fox Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to bay on finding a scent.

verb (used with object), spoke or (Archaic) spake; spo·ken or (Archaic) spoke; speak·ing.

to utter vocally and articulately: to speak words of praise.

to express or make known with the voice: to speak the truth.

to declare in writing or printing, or by any means of communication.

to make known, indicate, or reveal.

to use, or be able to use, in oral utterance, as a language: to speak French.

(of a computer) to express or make known (data, prompts, etc.) by means of an audio response unit.

Nautical. to communicate with (a passing vessel) at sea, as by voice or signal: We spoke a whaler on the fourth day at sea.

Archaic. to speak to or with.

Verb Phrases

speak for,

to intercede for or recommend; speak in behalf of.
to express or articulate the views of; represent.
to choose or prefer; have reserved for oneself: This item is already spoken for.

speak out, to express one's opinion openly and unreservedly: He was not afraid to speak out when it was something he believed in strongly.

Origin of speak

before 900; Middle English speken, Old English specan, variant of sprecan; cognate with German sprechen (Old High German sprehhan; compare variant spehhan)

SYNONYMS FOR speak

1 Speak, converse, talk mean to make vocal sounds, usually for purposes of communication. To speak often implies conveying information and may apply to anything from an informal remark to a scholarly presentation to a formal address: to speak sharply; to speak before Congress. To converse is to exchange ideas with someone by speaking: to converse with a friend. To talk is a close synonym for to speak but usually refers to less formal situations: to talk about the weather; to talk with a friend.

12 pronounce, articulate.

13 say.

15 disclose.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR speak ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsspeak·a·ble, adjectivespeak·a·ble·ness, nounspeak·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spoken

Scalise never would have spoken to EURO had Duke been there in person.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Over dinner, the Knight had mentioned that Scalise had spoken before the EURO event.
GOP Boss Gets Help From ‘White Hate’ Pal|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At various times, we had spoken about honors--Hitchcock had been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and wore a ribbon in his lapel.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while all he says he has spoken to still believe the interrogations saved lives, he said the report was a punch in the gut.
CIA Interrogation Chief: ‘Rectal Feeding,’ Broken Limbs Are News to Me|Kimberly Dozier|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Bergeot is perhaps the best known female authority figure in Magic and has spoken out in the past against sexism in the community.
Is ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Immune to GamerGate Misogyny?|David Levesley|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is believed that the other evangelical denominations in Oregon have spoken with the same distinctness and the same confidence.
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849|William Henry Gray
Hes at the switch now, remarked the man who had first spoken to the lads.
Jack Ranger's Gun Club|Clarence Young
Touraine, too, has the reputation of being that part of France where is spoken the purest French.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Touraine and the Loire Country|Francis Miltoun
He broke off, but when I would have spoken interrupted me with: And so you were on the Pamunkey all this while!
By order of the company|Mary Johnston
Surely he had spoken, too, with the voice of an educated man.
None Other Gods|Robert Hugh Benson

British Dictionary definitions for spoken (1 of 2)

spoken

/ (ˈspəʊkən) /

verb

the past participle of speak

adjective

uttered through the medium of speechCompare written

(in combination) having speech as specifiedsoft-spoken

spoken for engaged, reserved, or allocated

British Dictionary definitions for spoken (2 of 2)

speak

/ (spiːk) /

verb speaks, speaking, spoke or spoken

to make (verbal utterances); utter (words)

to communicate or express (something) in or as if in wordsI speak the truth

(intr) to deliver a speech, discourse, etc

(tr) to know how to talk in (a language or dialect)he does not speak German

(intr) to make a characteristic soundthe clock spoke

(intr) (of dogs, esp hounds used in hunting) to give tongue; bark

(tr) nautical to hail and converse or communicate with (another vessel) at sea

(intr) (of a musical instrument) to produce a sound

(intr foll by for) to be a representative or advocate (of)he speaks for all the members

on speaking terms on good terms; friendly

so to speak in a manner of speaking; as it were

speak one's mind to express one's opinions frankly and plainly

to speak of of a significant or worthwhile naturewe have had no support to speak of

See also speak for, speak out, speak to, speak up

Derived Formsspeakable, adjective

Word Origin for speak

Old English specan; related to Old High German spehhan, Middle High German spechten to gossip, Middle Dutch speken; see speech

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for spoken (1 of 2)

spoken

adj.

in compounds, "speaking" (in a certain way), late-15c., from past participle of speak (v.).

Word Origin and History for spoken (1 of 2)

speak

Old English specan, variant of sprecan "to speak" (class V strong verb; past tense spræc, past participle sprecen), from Proto-Germanic *sprekanan (cf. Old Saxon sprecan, Old Frisian spreka, Middle Dutch spreken, Old High German sprehhan, German sprechen "to speak," Old Norse spraki "rumor, report"), cognate with Latin spargere "to strew" (speech as a "scattering" of words; see sparse).

The -r- began to drop out in Late West Saxon and was gone by mid-12c., perhaps from influence of Danish spage "crackle," in a slang sense of "speak" (cf. crack in slang senses having to do with speech, e.g. wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be). Rare variant forms without -r- also are found in Middle Dutch (speken) and Old High German (spehhan).

Not the primary word for "to speak" in Old English (the "Beowulf" author prefers maþelian, from mæþel "assembly, council," from root of metan "to meet;" cf. Greek agoreuo "to speak," originally "speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly").

Idioms and Phrases with spoken

speak

In addition to the idioms beginning with speak

speak down to
speak for
speak of the devil
speak one's mind
speak one's piece
speak out
speak out of turn
speak the same language
speak too soon
speak up
speak volumes

also see:

actions speak louder than words
in a manner of speaking
nothing to speak of
not to mention (speak of)
on speaking terms
so to speak
to speak of

spoken

verb

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for spoken (2 of 2)

speak

verb (used without object), spoke or (Archaic) spake; spo·ken or (Archaic) spoke; speak·ing.

verb (used with object), spoke or (Archaic) spake; spo·ken or (Archaic) spoke; speak·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of speak

Examples from the Web for spoken

British Dictionary definitions for spoken (1 of 2)

spoken

verb

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for spoken (2 of 2)

speak

verb speaks, speaking, spoke or spoken

Word Origin for speak

Word Origin and History for spoken (1 of 2)

spoken

Word Origin and History for spoken (1 of 2)

speak

Idioms and Phrases with spoken

speak