verb (used without object),spoke or (Archaic) spake[speyk]; /speɪk/; 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 something by any means; convey significance: The voters have spoken loud and clear.
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[speyk]; /speɪk/; 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.
speak to,
to address or respond to, as in speech or action: The legislature must speak to the issue of gun violence.
to be appealing or relevant to: His music speaks to me on a very deep level.
to provide evidence for:Our company’s rapid growth speaks to the passion and commitment of our employees.
Idioms for speak
so to speak, to use a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking: We still don't have our heads above water, so to speak.
speak by the book, to say with great authority or precision: I can't speak by the book, but I know this is wrong.
speak well for, to be an indication or reflection of (something commendable); testify admirably to: Her manners speak well for her upbringing.
to speak of, worth mentioning: The country has no mineral resources to speak of.
Origin of speak
First recorded 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
12 pronounce, articulate.
13 say.
15 disclose.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR speak ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study 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.
a combining form extracted from newspeak (coined by George Orwell in his novel, 1984), used in the formation of compound words, usually derogatory, derisive, or facetious, that denote the style or vocabulary of a discipline, person, era, etc., as specified by the initial element: techspeak; artspeak; nukespeak; leetspeak; geek-speak.