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speak

 
Dictionary: speak   (spēk) pronunciation
 

v., spoke (spōk), spo·ken (spō'kən), speak·ing, speaks.

v.intr.
  1. To utter words or articulate sounds with ordinary speech modulation; talk.
    1. To convey thoughts, opinions, or emotions orally.
    2. To express oneself.
    3. To be on speaking terms: They are no longer speaking.
  2. To deliver an address or lecture: The mayor spoke at the rally.
    1. To make a statement in writing: The biography speaks of great loneliness.
    2. To act as spokesperson: spoke for the entire staff.
    1. To convey a message by nonverbal means: Actions speak louder than words.
    2. To be expressive: spoke with her eyes.
    3. To be appealing: His poetry speaks to one's heart.
  3. To make a reservation or request. Often used with for: Is this dance spoken for? I spoke for the last slice of pizza.
    1. To produce a characteristic sound: The drums spoke.
    2. To give off a sound on firing. Used of guns or cannon.
  4. To make communicative sounds.
  5. To give an indication or a suggestion: His manners spoke of good upbringing.
v.tr.
  1. To articulate in a speaking voice: spoke words of wisdom.
  2. To converse in or be able to converse in (a language): speaks German.
    1. To express aloud; tell: speak the truth.
    2. To express in writing.
  3. Nautical. To hail and communicate with (another vessel) at sea.
  4. To convey by nonverbal means: His eyes spoke volumes.
phrasal verbs:

speak out

  1. To talk freely and fearlessly, as about a public issue.
speak up
  1. To speak loud enough to be audible.
  2. To speak without fear or hesitation.

idioms:

so to speak

  1. In a manner of speaking: can't see the forest for the trees, so to speak.
speak down to
  1. To speak condescendingly to: She never spoke down to her audience.
to speak of
  1. Worthy of mention: There's nothing new to speak of.

[Middle English speken, from Old English sprecan, specan.]

speakable speak'a·ble adj.

SYNONYMS  speak, talk, converse, discourse. These verbs mean to express one's thoughts by uttering words. Speak and talk, often interchangeable, are the most general: He ate without once speaking to his companion. “On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one's mind. It becomes a pleasure” (Oscar Wilde). I want to talk with you about vacation plans. “Let's talk sense to the American people” (Adlai E. Stevenson). Converse stresses interchange of thoughts and ideas: “With thee conversing I forget all time” (John Milton). Discourse usually refers to formal, extended speech: “striding through the city, stick in hand, discoursing spontaneously on the writings of Hazlitt” (Manchester Guardian Weekly).

WORD HISTORY   Because English is a Germanic language, first-year German produces many moments of recognition for English speakers and several puzzles. For example, when we learn the verb sprechen, sprach, gesprochen, “to speak,” and the noun Sprache, “speech, language,” we wonder whether we lost the r or the Germans put one in. Sounds are more often lost than added in language change, and this is the case here. In Old English the verb was sprecan, the noun sprǣc, both with an r as in German (and in the other Germanic languages). The r-less forms began to appear in the south of England and became common in the 11th century; the forms with r disappeared completely by the middle of the 12th. A similar loss of r after a consonant and before a vowel occurred in the Middle English noun prang and its variant pronge, “severe pain, sharp pain.” Pronge survives today as prong (of a pitchfork, for example). The plural of prang appears in a poem composed about 1400 as pangus, “sharp stabs of pain,” and survives today as pang, “sharp, stabbing pain.”


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Thesaurus: speak
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also speak for

verb

  1. To engage in spoken exchange: chat, confabulate, converse1, discourse, talk. Informal confab, visit. See words.
  2. To direct speech to: address, talk. See words.
  3. To express oneself in speech: talk, verbalize, vocalize. Idioms: open one'smouthlips, putinintowords, wag one's tongue. See words.
  4. To talk to an audience formally: address, lecture, prelect. Archaic bespeak. See words.

phrasal verb - speak for

    To serve as an official delegate of: represent, stand for. See substitute.

 
Antonyms: speak
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v

Definition: talk
Antonyms: be quiet, listen


 

v. past spoke ; past part. spoken archaic hail and hold communication with (a ship) at sea.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

 
Word Tutor: speak
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To use words, to talk.

pronunciation It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and the other to hear. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American philosopher and naturalist.

 
Wikipedia: Speak
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Speak can mean:

Look up speak in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

 
Translations: Speak
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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - tale, lyde
v. tr. - sige, vise, røbe, forkynde, vidne om

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    handling tæller mere end ord
  • be spoken for    være optaget
  • so to speak    så at sige
  • speak for    være talsmand for, tale for
  • speak for oneself    tale på egne vegne
  • Speak for yourself    tal for dig selv
  • speak highly of    tale rosende om
  • speak ill of    tale nedsættende om, bagtale
  • speak of    tale om
  • speak of the devil    når man taler om solen
  • speak out    tale højt, tale rent ud af posen
  • speak out of turn    tale før det er ens tur
  • speak up    tale frit ud, sige sin mening, spytte ud
  • speak volumes    tale stærkt for, sige mere end mange ord
  • speak well of    tale godt om
  • speaks for itself    siger sig selv
  • to speak of    værd at tale om
  • well spoken    godt sagt

Nederlands (Dutch)
spreken, praten, zich uiten, een speech houden, praat, jargon

Français (French)
v. intr. - parler, parler (de qn), parler (en tant que), parler (de, à), prendre la parole, témoigner de, (fig) produire un son (un instrument de musique)
v. tr. - parler, dire, prononcer

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    les actes pèsent plus que les mots
  • be spoken for    être réservé ou retenu, ne pas être libre (qn)
  • not to speak of    sans oublier
  • so to speak    pour ainsi dire
  • speak for    représenter, parler au nom de
  • speak for itself    parle de lui-même
  • speak for oneself    s'exprimer
  • Speak for yourself    parle pour toi (excl)
  • speak highly of    dire beaucoup de bien de
  • speak ill of    dire du mal de
  • speak of    (rien) de spécial, pour ainsi dire
  • speak of the devil    quand on parle du loup
  • speak out    se prononcer (contre, en faveur), s'exprimer
  • speak out of turn    commettre une indiscrétion
  • speak up    parler plus fort, intervenir
  • speak up for    intervenir ou parler en faveur de qn/qch
  • speak volumes    en dire long sur
  • speak well of    dire beaucoup de bien de
  • to speak of    parler de
  • well spoken    bien considéré

Deutsch (German)
v. - sprechen, sagen

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    Taten sprechen lauter als Wörter
  • be spoken for    schon vergeben sein
  • not to speak of    ganz zu schweigen von
  • so to speak    sozusagen, so zu sagen
  • speak for    sprechen für
  • speak for itself    für sich selbst sprechen
  • speak for oneself    für sich selbst sprechen
  • Speak for yourself    das ist nur deine Meinung
  • speak highly of    sich lobend über jmdn. äußern
  • speak ill of    schlecht über jmdn. sprechen
  • speak of    sprechen von
  • speak of the devil    wenn man vom Teufel spricht
  • speak out    seine Meinung sagen
  • speak out of turn    eine unpassende Bemerkung machen
  • speak up    lauter sprechen
  • speak up for    sich für etw. [laut] aussprechen
  • speak volumes    Bände sprechen
  • speak well of    sich lobend über jmdn. äußern
  • to speak of    nennenswert
  • well spoken    sprachlich gewandt, mit angenehmer Sprachweise

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - μιλώ, λαλώ, αγορεύω, αναφέρω, εκφράζω με λόγο, συζητώ

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    οι πράξεις μετράνε
  • be spoken for    είμαι καπαρωμένος, είμαι λογοδοσμένος
  • so to speak    ούτως ειπείν, κατά κάποιο τρόπο
  • speak for    μιλώ υπέρ ή για λογαριασμό τού, υπεραμύνομαι
  • speak for oneself    εκφράζω προσωπικές απόψεις, είμαι αυταπόδεικτος, ομιλώ αφ' εαυτού, μιλώ για (την) πάρτη μου
  • Speak for yourself    Μίλα για πάρτη σου
  • speak highly of    λέω καλά λόγια για
  • speak ill of    κακολογώ
  • speak of    μιλώ για
  • speak of the devil    κατά φωνή (κι ο γάιδαρος)!
  • speak out    βγάζω φωνή, μιλώ άφοβα, διακηρύσσω, διατρανώνω, μιλώ δυνατά
  • speak out of turn    πετάγομαι, μιλώ εκτός σειράς
  • speak up    μιλώ δυνατά ή δυνατότερα
  • speak volumes    λέω πολλά, δίνω πλήρη εικόνα
  • speak well of    λέω καλά λόγια για
  • speaks for itself    είναι αυταπόδεικτο, ομιλεί αφ' εαυτού
  • to speak of    άξιον λόγου
  • well spoken    ευπροσήγορος

Italiano (Italian)
esprimersi, parlare, esprimere, dire, affermare, fare un discorso

idioms:

  • "Speak for yourself"    "parla per te"
  • actions speak louder than words    i fatti contano più delle parole
  • be spoken for    essere riservato
  • not to speak of    per non parlare di
  • so to speak    per così dire
  • speak for    parlare per
  • speak for oneself    opinione personale
  • speak ill of    sparlare di
  • speak of    parlare di
  • speak out    dichiararsi, esprimere la propria opinione
  • speak up    pronunziarsi, alzare il volume della voce
  • speak well/highly of    elogiare
  • speaks for itself    parla da solo
  • to speak of    importante

Português (Portuguese)
v. - falar, comunicar, expressar

idioms:

  • "Speak for yourself"    fala por ti
  • actions speak louder than words    os atos valem mais do que as palavras
  • be spoken for    comprometida (f)
  • so to speak    por assim dizer
  • speak for    defender alguém ou alguma coisa
  • speak for oneself    defender-se
  • speak ill of    fofocar
  • speak of    falar de
  • speak out    falar alto, claramente
  • speak out of turn    cometer uma indiscrição, demonstrar pouco tato
  • speak up    falar alto, claramente
  • speak well/highly of    recomendar
  • speaks for itself    ser evidente, ser claro, específico
  • to speak of    falar de
  • well spoken    bom orador, apresentável

Русский (Russian)
говорить, изъясняться, разговаривать, произносить, высказываться, делать заявление, отзываться, свидетельствовать, воздействовать, намекать, заказывать

idioms:

  • "Speak for yourself"    "Не говори за других"
  • actions speak louder than words    дела убедительнее слов
  • be spoken for    быть заказанным (о товаре)
  • so to speak    так сказать
  • speak for    говорить за (кого-л.), представлять (кого-л.), высказаться в защиту (кого-л.)
  • speak for oneself    говорить за себя
  • speak ill of    отзываться дурно о ком-л.
  • speak of    упоминать
  • speak out    высказываться, выступать
  • speak out of turn    сказать некстати
  • speak up    поднять голос (в защиту), возражать
  • speak well/highly of    хорошо отзываться о ком-л.
  • speaks for itself    говорит само за себя
  • to speak of    не стоит упоминания, пустяк, ничего стоящего
  • well spoken    владеющий литературной речью, учтивый, сказанный кстати

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - hablar, sonar, llamar, hacer señales
v. tr. - hablar, decir, expresar, pronunciar, pronunciar un discurso, llamar, proferir, declarar, proclamar, alabar, celebrar, dirigirse (a uno)

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    los hechos hablan más que las palabras
  • be spoken for    ser reclamado por, ser requerido por
  • not to speak of    ni hablar de
  • so to speak    como quien dice, por así decirlo
  • speak for    hablar en nombre de, hablar en favor de, recomendar, comprometer
  • speak for itself    no se necesitan explicaciones, es evidente, habla por sí solo
  • speak for oneself    hablar en nombre propio
  • Speak for yourself    habla por ti mismo!, ¡eso lo dirás tú!
  • speak highly of    hablar bien de
  • speak ill of    hablar mal de
  • speak of    hablar de, revelar
  • speak of the devil    hablando del rey de Roma y el diablo se asoma
  • speak out    hablar claro, hablar más fuerte
  • speak out of turn    hablar cuando no le toca, fuera de lugar
  • speak up    pronunciarse, manifestarse, hablar en voz alta, hablar claro, interponer
  • speak up for    hablar en defensa de
  • speak volumes    indicar claramente
  • speak well of    hablar bien de
  • to speak of    hablar de, revelar
  • well spoken    bienhablado, cortés, acertado

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - tala, säga, ljuda, skälla, uttrycka, ropa an

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
说话, 讲话, 发表演说, 陈述意见, 谈话, 谈论, 发出信号, 说, 陈述, 表达, 说出, 显示

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    事实胜于雄辩
  • be spoken for    已有主的, 已被人预订的
  • so to speak    可以说, 所谓
  • speak for    为...辩护, 发言支持, 代表...讲话, 证明, 表明
  • speak for oneself    为自己辩护
  • Speak for yourself    为自己辩护, 发表个人意见
  • speak highly of    赞扬
  • speak ill of    说坏话
  • speak of    谈到, 论及
  • speak of the devil    说曹操曹操就到
  • speak out    大胆地说, 大声地说
  • speak out of turn    说话冒失
  • speak up    大声地说
  • speak volumes    很有意义
  • speak well of    称赞..., 说...的好话
  • speaks for itself    无需进一步说明
  • to speak of    更不用说
  • well spoken    说话得体的, 说话流畅的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 說話, 講話, 發表演說, 陳述意見, 談話, 談論, 發出信號
v. tr. - 說, 陳述, 表達, 說出, 顯示

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    事實勝於雄辯
  • be spoken for    已有主的, 已被人預訂的
  • so to speak    可以說, 所謂
  • speak for    為...辯護, 發言支持, 代表...講話, 證明, 表明
  • speak for oneself    為自己辯護
  • Speak for yourself    為自己辯護, 發表個人意見
  • speak highly of    讚揚
  • speak ill of    說壞話
  • speak of    談到, 論及
  • speak of the devil    說曹操曹操就到
  • speak out    大膽地說, 大聲地說
  • speak out of turn    說話冒失
  • speak up    大聲地說
  • speak volumes    很有意義
  • speak well of    稱讚..., 說...的好話
  • speaks for itself    無需進一步說明
  • to speak of    更不用說
  • well spoken    說話得體的, 說話流暢的

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 이야기하다, 강연을 하다, 전달하다
v. tr. - 말하다, 언어 사용 능력이 있다, 증명하다

idioms:

  • be spoken for    이미 소유된, 이미 제기된, 이미 미래를 약속한 사람이 있는
  • speak for    ~을 대변하다, ~을 주문하다, ~을 증명하다
  • speak of    ~에 관하여 말하다, ~을 초들어 말하다, ~이라는 말을 쓰다
  • speak out    큰 소리로 이야기를 하다, 거리낌 없이 이야기 하다
  • speak up    큰 소리로 이야기를 하다, 거리낌 없이 이야기 하다
  • to speak of    언급할 만한, 주목할 만한
  • well spoken    말이 세련된, 호평의, 표준어를 쓰는

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 話す, 言う, 話をする, 談話する, 示す, 演説をする, 鳴る, ほえる

idioms:

  • actions speak louder than words    行為は言葉よりも雄弁
  • be spoken for    予約する
  • so to speak    いわば
  • speak for    弁護する, 代弁する, 要求する, 示す
  • speak for oneself    自己弁護をする, 自分の立場を述べる, 明らかである
  • Speak for yourself    こちらの考えは別だ
  • speak ill of    悪く言う
  • speak of    …のことを言う, 示す, 表現する
  • speak out    自由に言う, 遠慮なく話す, 大声で話す
  • speak out of turn    順不同で話す
  • speak the same language    同じ考え方をする
  • speak under one's breath    小声で話す
  • speak up    思い切って言う
  • speak volumes    多くのことを語る, 明白な証明となる
  • speak well/highly of    ほめる
  • to speak of    言及に値するほどの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتكلم, يخطب, يصرح, يقول‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮הוציא קול, השמיע צליל, נגע לליבו, קיים קשר עם (ספינה)‬
v. tr. - ‮דיבר, אמר, הביע, ביטא, נאם‬


 
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