talk
[verb]
Synonyms:
- speak, chat, chatter, communicate, converse, gossip, natter, utter
- negotiate, confabulate, confer, parley
- inform, blab, give the game away, grass (Brit. slang), let the cat out of the bag, tell all
[noun]
Synonyms:
- speech, address, discourse, disquisition, lecture, oration, sermon

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Related Idioms: talk one's arm (or ear or leg) off, flap (or wag) the (or one's) tongue, spill one's guts, spill the beans, tell all
Related Words: palaver, spout off, inform (on), divulge, reveal, confess, declaim, harangue, hold forth, perorate, speechify, spout, dialogue, discussion, exchange, negotiation, deliberation, spiel, conference

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English Thesaurus: conversation, discussion, talk, chat, natter, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. talk¹ S1 W1 /tɔːk $ tɒːk/ verb
[Word Family: noun: talk, talks, talker; verb: talk; adjective: talkative]
[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: Probably from Old English talian 'to count, consider, tell']

1. CONVERSATION [intransitive] to say things to someone as part of a conversation:
I could hear Sarah and Andy talking in the next room.
talk about
English people love to talk about the weather.
All through the afternoon, they sat and talked about their trip.
talk to
She spent a long time talking to him.
She’s very easy to talk to.
talk with
I got the truth from talking with Elena.
talk together
They were talking together in the hall.
Sue and Bob still aren’t talking (=are refusing to talk to each other).
talk in a low voice/a whisper etc
They were talking in low voices, and I couldn’t catch what they were saying.
talk of (=used especially in formal or literary contexts)
We talked of old times.

2. SERIOUS SUBJECT [intransitive] to discuss something serious or important with someone:
Joe, we need to talk.
Is there somewhere we can talk in private?
talk to
You should talk to a lawyer.
talk about
We’ve been talking about getting married.
talk with
Parents should talk with their children about drug abuse.
talk sport/politics/business etc
‘Let’s not talk politics now,’ said Hugh impatiently.

REGISTER
In written English, people usually say that they are going to discuss, deal with, or address a subject rather than talk about it:
In this essay I will discuss the problem of over-population.

3. SAY WORDS [intransitive] to produce words and express thoughts, opinions, ideas etc:
She was talking so fast I could hardly understand her.
How do babies learn to talk?
Some residents were frightened to talk publicly.
talk (in) French/German etc
They started talking in Spanish.
Don’t let Dad hear you talking like that (=expressing things in a particular way).

4. A SPEECH [intransitive] to give a speech
talk on/about
Professor Davis will talk about ‘Trends in Network Computing’.

5. SECRET INFORMATION [intransitive] if someone who has secret information talks, they tell someone else about it:
Even under torture, Maskell refused to talk.
He tried to stop his ex-wife from talking on live TV.
We should stop meeting like this. People will talk.

6. talk sense/rubbish/nonsense etc especially British English spoken used to say that you think someone is saying something sensible, something stupid etc:
You do talk rubbish sometimes, Jules.

7. talk (some) sense into somebody to persuade someone to behave sensibly:
She hoped Father McCormack would be able to talk some sense into her son.

8. talk to yourself to say your thoughts out loud:
‘What did you say?’ ‘Sorry, I was just talking to myself.’

9. know what you are talking about spoken to know a lot about a particular subject:
I worked in hotels for years, so I know what I’m talking about.

10. talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey informal to talk a lot, especially about unimportant things

11. talk about lazy/cheap/hungry etc spoken used to emphasize that someone or something is very lazy, cheap, hungry etc:
Talk about lucky. That’s the second time he’s won this week!

12. talking of/about something spoken used to say more about a subject that someone has just mentioned:
Talking of Venice, have you seen the masks I bought there last year?

13. what are you talking about? spoken used when you think what someone has said is stupid or wrong:
What are you talking about? We got there in plenty of time.

14. I’m talking to you! spoken used when you are angry that the person you are talking to is not paying attention:
Rob! I’m talking to you!

15. be like talking to a brick wall spoken used to say that it is annoying to speak to someone because they do not pay attention to you

16. talk sb’s ear off American English spoken to talk too much to someone

17. talk trash American English informal to say rude or offensive things to or about someone, especially to opponents in a sports competition:
Both teams were talking trash on the court.

18. talk the talk American English informal to say the things that people expect or think are necessary in a particular situation:
She didn’t talk the talk of feminism, but her career was the most important thing in her life. ⇒ walk the walk at walk¹(12)

19. I’m/we’re/you’re talking (about) something spoken used in conversation to emphasize a fact or remind someone of it:
I’m not talking about ancient history, I’m talking about last season’s performance.

20. now you’re talking spoken used to say that you think someone’s suggestion is a good idea:
‘Fancy an ice cream?’ ‘Now you’re talking.’

21. look who’s talking, you’re a fine one to talk, you can talk spoken used to tell someone they should not criticize someone else’s behaviour because their own behaviour is just as bad:
‘Peggy shouldn’t smoke so much.’ ‘Look who’s talking!’

22. we’re/you’re talking £500/three days etc spoken used to tell someone how much something will cost, how long something will take to do etc:
To do a proper job, you’re talking £750 minimum.

23. talk your way out of something informal to escape from a bad or embarrassing situation by giving explanations, excuses etc:
She’s good at talking her way out of trouble.

24. talk nineteen to the dozen British English informal, talk a blue streak American English informal to talk very quickly without stopping

25. talk in riddles to deliberately talk in a strange and confusing way:
Stop talking in riddles and explain what’s going on.

26. talk tough (on something) informal to give people your opinions very strongly:
The President is talking tough on crime.

27. talk shop if people talk shop, they talk about their work when there are people present who are not interested or involved in it – used to show disapproval:
Are you two going to talk shop all night?

28. talk dirty (to somebody) informal to talk in a sexual way to someone in order to make them feel sexually excited

29. be talking through your hat British English informal if someone is talking through their hat, they say stupid things about something that they do not understand

30. talk smack American English informal to criticize someone or something in an unpleasant way

31. talk to the hand spoken informal used to tell someone rudely that you do not want to listen to anything he or she is going to say to you. When people use this expression, they also usually turn their face away from the other person and hold the palm of their hand out towards them.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. talk² S1 W1 noun
[Word Family: noun: talk, talks, talker; verb: talk; adjective: talkative]

1. CONVERSATION [countable] a conversation:
After a long talk, we decided on divorce.
John, I’d like to have a talk with you.
talk about
We must have a talk about money.

2. DISCUSSION talks [plural] formal discussions between governments, organizations etc
peace/trade etc talks
The peace talks look promising.
The president held talks with Chinese officials.
talks with
Talks with the rebels have failed.

3. SPEECH [countable] a speech:
an entertaining talk
talk on/about
a talk on local history
give/do/deliver a talk
Dr. Howard will give a talk on herbal medicine.

4. NEWS [uncountable] information or news that people talk about and hear about a lot, but that is not official
talk of
Tickets sold so quickly there’s talk of a second concert.
talk of doing something
the administration’s talk of reducing weapons
talk that
There’s talk that she’s difficult to work with.
just/only talk
It’s just talk. He’ll never do it.

5. TYPE OF CONVERSATION [uncountable] type of conversation:
That’s enough of that kind of talk.
persuasive sales talk
That’s fighting talk (=brave and confident words) from Italy’s manager.

6. be all talk spoken someone who is all talk talks a lot about what they intend to do, but never actually does it

7. be the talk of the town/Paris etc someone who is the talk of the town has done something bad, shocking, exciting etc and everyone is talking about them:
She’s the talk of London’s theatre-goers since her last performance.

8. talk is cheap used to say that you do not believe someone will do what they say
⇒ pep talk, small talk, ⇒ idle talk at idle¹(2), ⇒ pillow talk at pillow¹(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

talk
noun
I. a conversation
ADJ. good, little (often ironic), long, quiet, serious I will have to have a little talk with that young lady (= tell her that I disapprove of sth).
heart-to-heart, intimate
VERB + TALK have
TALK + NOUN show
PREP. ~ about I enjoyed our talk about the old days.
~ with I need to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
PHRASES (to exchange/make) small talk (= to talk politely about unimportant things) He was never very good at making small talk with her parents.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

talk
II. talking
ADJ. excited, heady There was excited talk of emigrating to America.
ridiculous, wild There is ridiculous talk of her breaking the world record soon.
careless, dangerous, idle, loose | fighting, tough | straight She likes straight talk and hates hypocrites.
double The president's true agenda was hidden in political double talk.
dirty, filthy | cheap, easy, empty, mere The chairman's boasts about future profits was just cheap talk.
fine, grand (ironic) What all the fine talk came down to was hard cash.
baby I never used baby talk to my little girl.
pillow the pillow talk of lovers
TALK + VERB turn to sth Talk turned to money and tempers began to fray.
PREP. ~ about/of All this talk of the president resigning is nonsense!
PHRASES be just talk ‘You think it's just talk?’ ‘No, I think it's true.’
for all the talk of sth For all the talk of bringing their children up the same, the boys ended up never doing any of the cooking.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

talk
III. (also
talks) discussions between official groups
ADJ. lengthy | high-level, top-level | informal | formal, official | private, secret | open | direct, face-to-face | wide-ranging | all-party, bilateral, inter-party, joint, multilateral, round-table, trilateral, tripartite | fresh, further | fruitless, inconclusive | crisis, emergency, urgent | exploratory, preliminary | constitutional, political | arms, pay, peace, trade
QUANT. round A further round of talks is expected in March.
VERB + TALK conduct, have, hold The two governments held secret talks on the nuclear threat.
broker, host | attend, enter | initiate, open | break off, pull out of, walk out of The union has broken off talks with the management.
cancel, suspend | reopen, resume
TALK + VERB be scheduled Talks were scheduled for Rome the following month.
take place The peace talks will take place in Cairo. | begin, open, start | end | resume | be aimed at sth, be designed to the latest round of talks aimed at ending the civil war | centre on sth, concentrate on sth, cover sth, deal with sth, focus on sth The talks centred on bilateral trade.
produce sth Talks produced agreement on an end to the occupation.
be deadlocked, break down, collapse, fail, founder, stall The talks remain deadlocked over spending plans. The talks foundered on the issue of compensation.
PREP. during ~ The agreement was concluded during talks in Beijing.
in ~ He is currently in talks with two football clubs.
~ about/on/over holding talks over the political future of the province
~ between the failure of talks between the two communities
~ with The delegation arrived for talks with their government.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

talk
IV. lecture
ADJ. entertaining, informative, interesting | introductory | pep, sales, team | radio
VERB + TALK give | attend, go to
TALK + VERB be entitled sth She gave a very entertaining talk entitled ‘My life and hard times’.
PREP. ~ about/on Did you go to the talk on Peru?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

talk
verb
ADV. loudly | quietly | at length | continuously, endlessly, incessantly, non-stop | freely | openly She talked quite freely about her work.
enthusiastically, excitedly | politely | glibly | vaguely He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.
casually | earnestly a group of students talking earnestly
sensibly Let's talk sensibly about this.
wildly
VERB + TALK be able to, can/could I can't talk about it just now.
need to, want to I need to talk to you.
begin to | be easy to He was so easy to talk to.
be difficult to, be hard to | hear sb, listen to sb, overhear sb I loved to hear him talk about the old days.
make sb The police questioned him for four hours, trying to make him talk.
let sb Just shut up and let me talk for a minute.
PREP. about talking about their new clothes
of (formal) We often talked of the war.
to I'll talk to John this afternoon.
with I've talked with him on the telephone.
PHRASES start/stop talking

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

talk
verb
1.
BAD: I couldn't talk English in those days.
GOOD: I couldn't speak English in those days.

Usage Note:
speak English/French/Thai etc (NOT talk ): 'Do you speak Italian?' 'I didn't know you could speak Greek.'

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2.
BAD: I'd like to talk you about a dream I had last night.
GOOD: I'd like to tell you about a dream I had last night.

Usage Note:
When there is something that you want someone to know, you tell them about it: 'She told me about her holiday plans.'
When you have a conversation, you talk (to someone) about something: 'We talked about where we could go at the weekend.'

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3.
BAD: There's something I'd like to talk you about.
GOOD: There's something I'd like to talk to you about.

Usage Note:
talk to sb (about sth ): 'The manager would like to talk to you when you have a moment.'

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4.
BAD: I didn't want to talk with him because I was in a hurry.
GOOD: I didn't want to talk to him because I was in a hurry.

Usage Note:
In British English the usual phrase is talk to someone: 'Who were you talking to just now?'
Note that in American English both talk to and talk with are used.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

conversation noun [uncountable and countable] an informal talk in which people exchange news, feelings, and thoughts:
I was having a conversation with a friend the other day.
Conversation wasn’t easy because of all the noise.
He overheard our conversation about the children.
discussion noun [uncountable and countable] a conversation about something important:
There was a lot of discussion about where the money was going to come from.
The two companies have been having discussions about a possible takeover.
talk noun [countable] a long conversation, especially about a problem or about what you plan to do:
We had a long talk about our relationship.
chat noun [countable] especially British English an informal friendly conversation:
I’ve just had a chat with Vinnie.
natter noun [singular] British English informal a conversation with a friend about unimportant things:
Mary and Jean were having a cup of tea and a natter.
gossip noun [singular, uncountable] conversations in which people talk about things they have heard, especially about other people’s private lives, which may well not be true:
She always enjoyed going to friends’ houses and having a gossip.
It’s all just gossip.
small talk noun [uncountable] polite friendly conversation about unimportant subjects, especially when you do not know someone very well and feel a little nervous:
We stood around making small talk about the weather.
banter noun [uncountable] friendly conversation in which people joke with each other and gently make fun of each other:
She enjoyed the friendly banter with her colleagues at the office.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rumour British English, rumor American English noun [uncountable and countable] information or a story that is passed from one person to another and which may or may not be true:
The band denied the rumours that they may be splitting up.
The truth finally came out after months of rumour.
I've heard rumours about a ghost in the building.
speculation noun [uncountable] a situation in which a lot of people are talking about something that is happening, especially something that is happening in politics or public life, and trying to guess what the truth is:
There was a great deal of speculation about a possible merger involving Belgium’s largest banks.
The report fuelled speculation (=caused more speculation) that he was about to resign.
His future as a player has been the subject of intense speculation.
gossip noun [uncountable] things that people say about what they think has happened in other people's private lives, which is usually not true :
She tells me all the latest gossip from the office.
The magazine was full of gossip about celebrities.
You shouldn't believe every piece of gossip you hear.
talk noun [uncountable] something that people talk about a lot but which is not official:
The government has dismissed talk of a military strike on the country.
There's been a lot of talk of him resigning.
hearsay noun [uncountable] something that you have heard from someone else, but cannot prove whether it is true or untrue – often used in legal contexts:
All the accounts were based on hearsay rather than eye-witness reports.
hearsay evidence

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

speech a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people:
The bridegroom usually makes a speech after the wedding.
In her speech, she proposed major changes to the welfare system.
the opening speech of the conference
address formal a speech that a very important person gives to a large group of people:
the President's address to the nation
He was surrounded by security officers as he made his address.
talk an occasion when someone speaks to a group of people giving them information about a particular subject or about their experiences:
I went to an interesting talk on the wildlife of Antarctica.
He's been asked to give a talk about his trip to India.
lecture a talk, especially on an academic subject and given to students in a university:
a lecture on 17th century French literature
Professor Black is giving the lecture.
presentation a talk in which you describe or explain a new product or idea, especially one you give for your company:
I had to give a presentation to the board of directors.
He's making a presentation to the management of a well-known manufacturing company.
sermon a talk given by a priest or a religious leader:
The vicar preached a sermon about the need for forgiveness.
statement a spoken or written announcement that someone makes in public, often to journalists:
The minister issued a short statement in which he said he had no plans to resign.

[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 ▲

talk
tɔ:k
See: double-talk , pep talk , sales talk , sweet talk

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲