speak
verb /spiːk/
/spiːk/
Word Family
- speak verb
- speaker noun
- speech noun
- spoken adjective (≠ unspoken)
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they speak | /spiːk/ /spiːk/ |
| he / she / it speaks | /spiːks/ /spiːks/ |
| past simple spoke | /spəʊk/ /spəʊk/ |
| past participle spoken | /ˈspəʊkən/ /ˈspəʊkən/ |
| -ing form speaking | /ˈspiːkɪŋ/ /ˈspiːkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody
- speak to somebody The President refused to speak to reporters.
- speak about something We never spoke about her illness.
- The confidential setting allowed us to speak freely about our concerns.
- speak to somebody about something/somebody I've spoken to the manager about it.
- (especially North American English) speak with somebody (about something/somebody) Can I speak with you for a minute?
- ‘Do you know him?’ ‘Not to speak to.’ (= I recognize him but do not really know him)
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation)
- I saw her in the street but we didn't speak.
Synonyms talktalk- discuss
- speak
- communicate
- debate
- consult
- talk to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas:
- We talked on the phone for over an hour.
- discuss (rather formal) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide something:
- Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
- speak to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody:
- I’ve spoken to the manager about it.
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation)
- communicate (rather formal) to exchange information or ideas with somebody:
- We only communicate by email.
- Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
- debate to discuss something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution:
- Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
- consult (rather formal) to discuss something with somebody in order to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision:
- You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me.
- to talk/discuss something/speak/communicate/debate/consult with somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody/consult somebody about something
- to talk/speak of something
Extra Examples- I'm speaking from experience.
- I didn't get a chance to speak to him.
- No one had ever dared speak to him like that before.
- Employees have to get permission to speak to the media.
- We're not speaking to each other at the moment.
- Police would like to speak to anyone who saw the incident.
- Speaking to journalists before the premiere, the actor praised the film.
- I've spoken to a number of people and they all agreed with me.
- Speak to friends and family first, before making any major decisions.
- It's better to speak directly to the patient.
- I need to speak to Joseph about this matter.
- I need to speak with your parents.
- You should speak with someone who knows more about the subject.
- I had the opportunity to speak with the president alone.
- I spoke at length with him last week.
- I need colleagues with whom I can speak frankly.
- He spoke on condition of anonymity.
- I could guess what he wanted to speak about, but I let him broach the subject.
- We've spoken about this many times before.
- We spoke briefly on the phone.
- I know who she is, but we've never spoken.
- The brothers have fallen out and barely speak.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- briefly
- at length
- hardly
- …
- want to
- refuse to
- dare (to)
- …
- about
- to
- with
- …
- be on speaking terms (with somebody)
- a/the chance to speak
- a/the opportunity to speak
- …
- [intransitive] to use your voice to say something
- The illness left him unable to speak.
- Please speak more slowly.
- Without speaking, she stood up and went out.
- He speaks with a Scottish accent.
- She speaks in a husky voice.
- She has a beautiful speaking voice.
Extra Examples- She was so moved she could hardly speak.
- Nancy spoke softly.
- You must speak loudly and clearly on the stage.
- He lost his ability to speak.
- the sounds made by a baby as it's learning to speak
- He was so afraid of breaking down he couldn't trust himself to speak.
- The main character speaks directly into the camera.
- She opened her mouth to speak and found she couldn't.
- He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
- I nodded, afraid to speak.
- For a while nobody spoke.
- Raise your hand if you want to speak.
- They take it in turns to speak.
- Look at me while I'm speaking.
- He always tends to speak first in any situation.
- Do you feel shy about speaking in meetings?
- The children are never given a chance to speak.
- They were speaking in hushed tones.
- The characters speak in Cockney accents.
- The whistle blower spoke anonymously on the radio.
- I'm speaking from experience, having been there often.
- I'm speaking from a teacher's perspective.
- She's speaking from a position of authority.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) speak something to be able to use a particular language
- to speak several languages
- to speak a little Urdu
- Do you speak English?
Extra Examples- learning to speak a foreign language
- Peter was learning to speak French.
- How many languages do you speak?
- None of them speak English.
- None of them can speak English.
- The ability to speak another language is a valued skill.
- She speaks an unusual dialect.
- He speaks German fluently.
- He speaks fluent German.
- I'm sorry, I don't speak any Russian.
- She speaks a few words of Japanese.
- It's difficult if you don't speak the language.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fluently
- well
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- in
- the ability to speak something
- [transitive, intransitive] to use a particular language to express yourself
- speak something What language is it they're speaking?
- speak in something Would you prefer it if we spoke in German?
- What language are they speaking in?
Extra Examples- They were speaking in a language I didn't understand.
- They were speaking a language I didn't understand.
- What language do you speak at home?
- Only English is spoken in the classroom.
- You can hear many different languages being spoken in these streets.
- She speaks German to her kids and Italian to her husband.
- We spoke half in Spanish and half in English.
- I speak in my own language and she speaks in hers, and we get along fine.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fluently
- well
- be able to
- can
- be unable to
- …
- in
- the ability to speak something
- (in adjectives) speaking the language mentioned
- French-speaking Canada
- non-English-speaking students
- [intransitive] speak of/about something/somebody to mention or describe something/somebody
- She still speaks about him with great affection.
- He was speaking publicly for the first time about the incident.
- Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
- Her students speak very highly of her (= they say very good things about her).
- Speaking of travelling, (= referring back to a subject just mentioned) are you going anywhere exciting this year?
- The brochure speaks of beautiful secluded grounds.
Synonyms mentionmention- refer to somebody/something
- speak
- cite
- quote
- mention to write or speak about something/somebody, especially without giving much information:
- Nobody mentioned anything to me about it.
- refer to somebody/something (rather formal) to mention or speak about somebody/something:
- I promised not to refer to the matter again.
- speak to mention or describe somebody/something:
- Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
- cite (formal) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying:
- He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.
- quote to mention an example of something to support what you are saying:
- Can you quote me an instance of when this happened?
- to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote somebody/something as somebody/something
- to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of something
- frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted
- the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously
Extra Examples- He spoke of the need for patience.
- He speaks of the experience as one of the highlights of his career.
- They're speaking of things they don't understand.
- He speaks frankly about his own shortcomings.
- She has never spoken openly about her early life.
- You can speak freely about anything you like.
- one of the rare instances in which the sculptor spoke directly about the issue of race in art
- They are willing to speak candidly about their pain and loss.
- He spoke passionately about his novel.
- He speaks very warmly of you.
- They speak nostalgically of those days.
- Speaking of Brett, why isn't he here?
- “Speaking of that,” I interrupted, “how much is this going to cost?”
- I had lunch with her the other day. Speaking of which, let's stop for something to eat.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [intransitive] to make a speech to an audience
- Hundreds of people came to hear her speak.
- + adv./prep. I hate speaking in public.
- He was invited to speak at a conference.
- to speak on the radio
- speak (to somebody) (about something) Professor Todd spoke to the group about her research.
- She spoke in favour of the new tax.
- He has a number of speaking engagements this week.
Wordfinder- argument
- ayes
- chair
- debate
- the floor
- motion
- propose
- second
- speak
- vote
Extra Examples- I heard him speak at the debating society.
- She speaks on women's issues.
- He said he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
- She was invited to speak at a Harvard conference.
- She is scheduled to speak today to the Economic Roundtable of Jacksonville.
- He was speaking at a Democratic Party rally.
- I visualized myself speaking in front of a large crowd.
- He spoke in support of the bill on the senate floor.
- In the past he has spoken against gay marriage.
- I speak on behalf of many thousands of women.
- She spoke eloquently about the need for action.
- He will be speaking to history students about the causes of war.
- He spoke at length about socialism.
- First I'll speak briefly about the background to the project.
- She spoke clearly and engagingly about her work.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
- [transitive] speak something to say or state something
- She was clearly speaking the truth.
- He spoke the final words of the play.
- They had the courage to speak the truth.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- be unable to
- can (hardly)
- …
- about
- on
- against
- …
- the ability to speak
- have the courage to speak
- the right to speak
- …
have conversation
use voice
a language
-speaking
mention/describe
make speech
say/state
Word OriginOld English sprecan, later specan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spreken and German sprechen.
Idioms
actions speak louder than words
- (saying) what a person actually does means more than what they say they will do
be on speaking terms (with somebody) | be speaking (to somebody)
- to be willing to be polite or friendly towards somebody, especially after an argument
- She's not been on speaking terms with her uncle for years.
- Are they speaking to each other again yet?
Extra Examples- We are still on speaking terms after the argument.
- Ed and Dave aren't speaking at the moment.
the facts speak for themselves
- it is not necessary to give any further explanation about something because the information that is available already proves that it is true
generally, broadly, roughly, relatively, etc. speaking
- used to show that what you are saying is true in a general, etc. way
- Generally speaking, the more you pay, the more you get.
- There are, broadly speaking, two ways of doing this.
- Personally speaking, I've always preferred Italian food.
Language Bank generallygenerallyWays of saying ‘in general’- Women generally earn less than men.
- Generally speaking, jobs traditionally done by women are paid at a lower rate than those traditionally done by men.
- In general/By and large, women do not earn as much as men.
- Certain jobs, like nursing and cleaning, are still mainly carried out by women.
- Senior management posts are predominantly held by men.
- Most senior management posts tend to be held by men.
- Women are, for the most part, still paid less than men.
- Economic and social factors are, to a large extent, responsible for women being concentrated in low-paid jobs.
in a manner of speaking
- if you think about it in a particular way; true in some but not all ways
- All these points of view are related, in a manner of speaking.
no…/nothing to speak of
- such a small amount that it is not worth mentioning
- They've got no friends to speak of.
- She's saved a little money but nothing to speak of.
so to speak
- used to emphasize that you are expressing something in an unusual or humorous way
- They were all very similar. All cut from the same cloth, so to speak.
speak for itself/themselves
- to be so easy to see and understand that you do not need to say anything else about it/them
- Her success speaks for itself.
- Recent events speak for themselves.
speak for myself/herself/himself, etc.
- to express what you think or want yourself, rather than somebody else doing it for you
- I'm quite capable of speaking for myself, thank you!
speak for yourself
- (informal) used to tell somebody that a general statement they have just made is not true of you
- ‘We didn't play very well.’ ‘Speak for yourself!’ (= I think that I played well.)
speak/think ill of somebody
- (formal) to say or think bad things about somebody
- Don't speak ill of the dead.
speaking as something
- used to say that you are the type of person mentioned and are expressing your opinion from that point of view
- Speaking as a parent, I'm very concerned about standards in education.
speak your mind
- to say exactly what you think, in a very direct way
- She’s never hesitated about speaking her mind.
- Everyone should have the right to speak their mind.
speak/talk of the devil
- (informal) people say speak/talk of the devil when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly
- Well, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!
speak out of turn
- to say something when you should not, for example because it is not the right time or you are not the right person to say it
speak/talk out of turn
- to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends somebody
speak/talk the same language
- to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experienceTopics Opinion and argumentc2
speak volumes (about/for something/somebody)
- to tell you a lot about something/somebody, without the need for words
- His achievement speaks volumes for his determination.
- What you wear speaks volumes about you.
speak well/ill of somebody
- (formal) to say good or bad things about somebody
- She never speaks ill of anyone.
strictly speaking
- if you are using words or rules in their exact or correct sense
- Strictly speaking, the book is not a novel, but a short story.
- Using the word in that context is not, strictly speaking, correct.