speak
[verb]
Synonyms:
- talk, articulate, converse, express, pronounce, say, state, tell, utter
- lecture, address, declaim, discourse, hold forth

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Contrasted words: gabble, gibber, jabber, maunder, mumble, mutter, mispronounce, misspeak, falter, hesitate, stumble
Related Idioms: break silence, give voice (or tongue or utterance) to, let fall, make public (or known), open one's mouth (or lips), put in (or into) words, say one's say, speak one's piece, be at ease in
Related Words: drawl, gasp, mouth, mumble, murmur, mutter, shout, splutter, spout, whisper, descant, dilate (on or upon), expatiate, perorate, converse, discourse, allege, assert, aver, convey, declare, tell

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English Thesaurus: speak, be fluent in something, get by, have/pick up a smattering of something, talk, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

-speak /spiːk/ suffix [in nouns]
the special language or difficult words that are used in a particular business or activity:
computerspeak

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

speak S1 W1 /spiːk/ verb (past tense spoke /spəʊk $ spoʊk/, past participle spoken /ˈspəʊkən $ ˈspoʊ-/)
[Word Family: adjective: unspeakable, speechless, outspoken, spoken ≠ unspoken; noun: speaker, speech; verb: speak; adverb: unspeakably]
[Language: Old English; Origin: sprecan, specan]

1. IN CONVERSATION [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to talk to someone about something
speak to
I spoke to her last Wednesday.
‘Hello, may I speak to Jim Smith?’ ‘Yes, speaking’ (=used on the telephone).
I know her by sight, but not to speak to (=not well enough to talk to her).
speak to somebody about something
I haven’t spoken to Steve about all this.
speak with especially American English:
They did not want to speak with reporters.
speak of
It was the first time she had ever spoken of marriage.

2. SAY WORDS [intransitive] to use your voice to produce words:
I was so shocked I couldn’t speak.
He spoke very softly (=quietly).

3. LANGUAGE [transitive not in progressive] to be able to talk in a particular language:
Do you speak English?
I don’t speak a word of French (=do not speak any French at all).
can/can’t speak something
Several children in the class can’t speak English.
French-speaking/Italian-speaking etc
a German-speaking secretary

4. FORMAL SPEECH [intransitive] to make a formal speech
speak at
Jones spoke at the teachers’ annual convention.
speak to
She asked me to speak to her students about my work in marketing.
speak in favour of/against
Only one MP spoke against the bill. ⇒ speaker(1)

5. EXPRESS IDEAS/OPINIONS [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to say something that expresses your ideas or opinions
speak as a parent/teacher/democrat etc
He emphasized that he was speaking as a private citizen, not in any official capacity.
speak well/highly/ill of somebody (=say good or bad things about someone)
Her co-workers spoke highly of her.
It’s wrong to speak ill of the dead.
strictly/generally/roughly speaking (=used when expressing an idea that you think is exactly true, generally true etc)
Strictly speaking, it’s my money, not yours. I earned it.

6. so to speak used when you are saying something in words that do not have their usual meaning:
We have to pull down the barriers, so to speak, of poverty.

7. speak your mind to tell people exactly what you think, even if it offends them:
He was a tough politician who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

8. be not speaking/not be on speaking terms if two people are not speaking, they do not talk to each other, usually because they have argued:
He was not on speaking terms with his brother or sisters.

9. speak volumes (about/for something) if something speaks volumes, it clearly shows the nature of something or the feelings of a person:
What you wear speaks volumes about you.

10. speak with one voice if a group of people speak with one voice, they all express the same opinion:
On this issue, the 12 organizations spoke with one voice.

11. speak the same language if two people or groups speak the same language, they have similar attitudes and opinions

12. speak out of turn to say something when you do not have the right or authority to say it
⇒ actions speak louder than words at action¹(13), ⇒ the facts speak for themselves at fact(8), ⇒ in a manner of speaking at manner(5)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

speak
verb
I. have a conversation
ADV. briefly We spoke briefly on the phone.
at length | hardly Ben hardly spoke to me all evening.
VERB + SPEAK want to | refuse to The president refused to speak to the waiting journalists.
dare (to) No one had ever dared speak to him like that before.
PREP. about, to I need to speak to Joseph about this matter.
with Can I speak with you for a minute?
PHRASES be on speaking terms (with sb) We are still on speaking terms after the argument.
not be speaking (to sb) Ed and Dave aren't speaking at the moment.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speak
II. use your voice to say sth
ADV. loudly | quietly, softly | clearly You must speak loudly and clearly on the stage.
slowly | calmly | brusquely, sharply | briefly | at length | suddenly | hardly | eloquently, movingly She spoke eloquently about the need for action.
lovingly, warmly | disparagingly, harshly | encouragingly, soothingly | authoritatively, forcefully | earnestly | coherently, intelligibly, meaningfully | absently | freely, openly | boldly | hesitantly | out
VERB + SPEAK be able/unable to, can/could (hardly) She was so moved she could hardly speak.
begin to, open your mouth to She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn't.
try to | dare not, not trust yourself to He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
hear sb I heard him speak at the debating society.
PREP. about, against He spoke out against mismanagement.
for I speak for all my colleagues.
in favour of She spoke in favour of the new tax.
on She speaks on women's issues.
on behalf of I speak on behalf of many thousands of women.
of He speaks very warmly of you.
to He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speak
III. know a language
ADV. fluently, well He speaks German fluently.
VERB + SPEAK be able/unable to, can/could | learn to learning to speak a foreign language
teach sb to
PREP. in Would you prefer it if we spoke in French?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speak

speak well/highly of somebody (=say good things about them)
He always spoke very highly of Marge.
speak ill of somebody (=say bad things about them)
She never speaks ill of him.
speaking personally
Speaking personally, yes, this is a worry.
strictly speaking
Strictly speaking, the tomato is a fruit.
generally speaking
Generally speaking, the results have been good.
roughly/broadly speaking
These innovations are, roughly speaking, what this book is about.
relatively speaking
Relatively speaking, property there is still cheap.
speak as a parent/teacher etc
Speaking as a medical man, I'd advise you to take some exercise every day.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speak
verb
1.
BAD: We hadn't seen each other for a year and so we spent the whole night speaking.
GOOD: We hadn't seen each other for a year and so we spent the whole night talking.
DUBIOUS: We spoke about where we would go for our next holiday.
GOOD: We talked about where we would go for our next holiday.

Usage Note:
When just one person does all or most of the talking, either speak or talk may be used: 'He spoke/talked about his years in the army.'
When two or more people have a conversation, the usual word is talk (NOT speak ): 'We must have been talking for hours.' 'If someone brings me a problem, we just sit down and talk about it.'

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2.
BAD: Neither of my parents speaks in English.
GOOD: Neither of my parents speaks English.

Usage Note:
speak in (English) = use (English) on a particular occasion: 'My grandparents won't understand a thing if the priest speaks in French.'
speak (English) = know (English) and use it habitually: 'Do you speak German?' 'We'll have to find someone who speaks English.'

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3.
BAD: We were shown how to speak with customers and handle complaints.
GOOD: We were shown how to speak to customers and handle complaints.

Usage Note:
In British English the usual phrase is speak to someone: 'If you need any more information, you should speak to Mrs Hall.'
Note that in American English both speak to and speak with are used.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

speak to be able to talk in a foreign language:
Do you speak German?
I learnt Spanish for years, but I still don’t speak it very well.
be fluent in something to be very good at speaking and understanding a foreign language, so that you can speak it almost as well as your own language:
Applicants should be fluent in Cantonese.
get by to speak enough of a language to be able to buy things, ask for help etc:
‘What’s your Italian like?’ ‘Not great, but I can get by.’
I’ve just bought a book called ‘Get by in Portuguese'.
have/pick up a smattering of something to speak or learn to speak a small but useful amount of a language:
While I was in Bali, I picked up a smattering of Indonesian.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

talk to use words to communicate with someone about something:
I need to talk to you about your work.
She always enjoyed talking to Jim.
Can we talk?
speak to talk. Speak is a little more formal than talk. You often use it when saying that someone speaks in a particular way, or that you will speak to someone in order to try to get something done. You only use speak when saying that someone speaks a language:
He spoke with confidence and authority.
She was speaking quietly so she didn’t disturb anyone.
I’d like to speak to the manager.
Do you speak German?
go on/drone on/ramble to talk too much or for too long about something, in a way that makes people bored:
He went on about how great the team was.
I’d better stop rambling and let you get on with your work.
waffle /ˈwɒfəl $ ˈwɑː-/ British English disapproving informal to talk using a lot of words but without saying anything important:
I wish he would stop waffling and get to the point!
prattle on disapproving informal to talk continuously about silly and unimportant things:
She prattled on about her boyfriend for the entire journey.
What’s he prattling on about now?
have a conversation to talk to someone for a long time about everyday things:
She was having a conversation with one of her friends.
When I arrived, Joe and Jane were deep in conversation (=very involved in a conversation).
I can order food in a restaurant in French, but not have a conversation.
chat/have a chat informal to have a friendly informal conversation about things that are not very important:
The girls were chatting outside the house.
It’s been nice having a chat with you.
gossip to talk about other people’s private lives when they are not there, especially about things that you have heard, which are not completely true:
What are you two gossiping about?
visit with somebody American English informal to have a conversation with someone:
I visited with him last week.
converse formal to have a conversation with someone:
We met once and conversed briefly.
discuss to talk seriously about problems, ideas, or plans:
They met to discuss how the building should be designed.
She refuses to discuss the matter.
talk something over to discuss something with someone because it will affect them, especially someone close to you:
Before you accept the job, talk it over with your family.
You two need to sit down and talk things over.
debate to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision or solve a problem:
The issue will be debated on Tuesday.
The UN Security Council debated whether to impose sanctions.
have a talk
I must have a talk with Frank before I leave.
a long talk
I had a long talk with Nora this morning.
a little talk
I’m glad we’ve had this little talk.
a serious talk
Before she went to college, her father sat her down for a serious talk.
a quiet/private talk
She asked if she could have a private talk.
a good talk (=a long talk about important or interesting things)
She was upset, but we’ve had a good talk and things are okay now.
a nice talk
We all had lunch together and a nice talk.
have/hold talks
He called on the rebels to hold talks with the government.
enter into talks (=start having talks)
The Ambassador stated that France was prepared to enter into talks on the issue.
talks begin
Talks began in October and Venezuela said it expects an agreement to be signed soon.
talks continue/are underway
Talks will continue through the weekend.
talks break down/collapse (=stop because of disagreement)
Talks broke down today between the Russian and Japanese delegations.
talks resume/are resumed
Talks resumed in Geneva on April 19 after a month’s break.
talks end
The talks ended without a settlement being reached.
peace talks
All four Arab delegations walked out of the Middle East peace talks yesterday.
trade talks
Trade talks between the EU and the Americans have once again collapsed.
high-level talks (=involving important people)
The announcement came after a morning of high-level talks.
budget talks
The dollar fell as U.S. budget talks appeared unlikely to produce an agreement.
direct talks
The President declared that he was now prepared to enter into direct talks with the rebels.
bilateral talks (=involving two groups or countries)
Bilateral talks led to the resumption of diplomatic relations.
round-table talks (=when everyone can discuss things in an equal way)
An election law, agreed during round-table talks, gave every voter the right to two votes.
urgent talks
The Prime Minister called ministers together for urgent talks.
crisis talks (=talks to stop a situation getting worse or more dangerous)
The unions will hold crisis talks with the company in a bid to save jobs.
a round of talks (=a series of talks that is part of a longer process)
A third round of talks was held in May.
the breakdown/collapse of talks
The collapse of the talks sent shock waves round the world.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

speak
spi:k
See: actions speak louder than words , children and fools speak the truth , not to mention or not to speak of , short-spoken , so to speak , to speak of

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲