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Speak

Example Sentences Origin

verb (used without object)

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 of 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.

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to communicate, signify, or disclose by any means; convey significance.

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.

10.

Chiefly British. (of dogs) to bark when ordered.

11.

Fox Hunting. (of a hound or pack) to bay on finding a scent.

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verb (used with object)

12.

to utter vocally and articulately: to speak words of praise.

13.

to express or make known with the voice: to speak the truth.

14.

to declare in writing or printing, or by any means of communication.

15.

to make known, indicate, or reveal.

16.

to use, or be able to use, in oral utterance, as a language: to speak French.

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17.

(of a computer) to express or make known (data, prompts, etc.) by means of an audio response unit.

18.

Nautical. to communicate with (a passing vessel) at sea, as by voice or signal: We spoke a whaler on the fourth day at sea.

19.

Archaic. to speak to or with.

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Speak is always a great word to know.

So is broad. Does it mean:

involving lip articulation or a rounded vowel

using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme

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Verb phrases

20.

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.

21.

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.

Idioms

22.

so to speak, to use a manner of speaking; figuratively speaking: We still don't have our heads above water, so to speak.

23.

speak by the book, to say with great authority or precision: I can't speak by the book, but I know this is wrong.

24.

speak well for, to be an indication or reflection of (something commendable); testify admirably to: Her manners speak well for her upbringing.

25.

to speak of, worth mentioning: The country has no mineral resources to speak of.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English speken, Old English specan, variant of sprecan; cognate with German sprechen (Old High German sprehhan; compare variant spehhan)

Related forms

speak·a·ble, adjective

speak·a·ble·ness, noun

speak·a·bly, adverb

Synonyms
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. 12. pronounce, articulate. 13. say. 15. disclose.

Example Sentences

It is a universal complaint of children that their parents don't speak their language.

Folk wisdom and some scientists have long maintained that women speak far more than men do.

Kids today speak broken english and spell so bad it makes me shake my head.

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It is a universal complaint of children that their parents don't speak their language.

Folk wisdom and some scientists have long maintained that women speak far more than men do.

Kids today speak broken english and spell so bad it makes me shake my head.

But recognizing a language and being able to speak it-or cry it-are two different things.

If you speak multiple languages, you might have multiple personalities.

Bonobo's can't physically speak as their vocal cords are different to ours.

Shop flea markets and junk stores for pieces that speak to you.

He suffered a stroke, and became unable to speak or write.

Debates might work better in a smaller group where each student can have their chance to speak.

The language has long been in slow decline, chiefly because the children of migrants to the cities rarely speak it.

It's technology that lets you speak your mind-literally.

The voice you hear when you speak is the combination of sound carried along both paths.

He heard her speak and accepted her words with favor.

In other words, what you are not speak louder than words.

Weiss-Irwin had registered to speak at the hearing, but was not permitted to enter because the room was already full.

Scientists say they have discovered the first evidence that chimpanzees speak to each other about objects in their environment.

Teaching a machine to speak has been a dream for decades.

On the odd chance they actually speak face to face to another human being, they're no better.

For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, the book will speak volumes.

We should have the freedom and courage to speak uncomfortable truths in the hope of creating a better world.

They speak the same language and share the same culture.

Imagine listening to people speak through the din of a seashell's roar.

His films speak of madness on the margins and the grotesque tragedy that accompanies it.

And a donor's stature makes some fund raisers reluctant to speak up, for fear of losing a gift.

Then he dared speak up, to the police and other authorities, demanding to use the new village well.

So, if you speak of either, then you speak from an old point of view.

See her images and hear her speak about her artistic journey from rock music to photography.

And if the lyrics are familiar the stroke sufferer finds it even easier to speak them.

After the teams state their point of view, it is up to students to speak during the debate.

Russia still produces brave individuals, independent and conscientious enough to speak the truth to the state.

Women and men speak their own languages, but research reveals the conversational gender divide is not as stark as it seems.

Results, however, could speak to the effects of human encroachment on animal habitats.

Microsoft envisions a driving experience in which cars will speak up when they need an oil.

Disdain for religion is far from universal among scientists, and some are beginning to speak out about their faith.

Today he uses his superstar status to speak out for the rights of.

Following the tour, visitors have the opportunity to hear a survivor speak of their experiences.

Ask your interviewers to identify themselves whenever they speak so you can keep track of who's talking.

But ten months in, she remains a foreign minister without a ministry to speak of.

We asked for photos that speak to sustainability across all its pillars-social, environmental, and economic.

If you speak to its developers, they'll stress at every opportunity that it's a first-person shooter.

Speak clearly and do not speak too long in response to a question.

Unfortunately, his designated leading opponents are all ghosts from the past, so to speak.

Really appreciate this opportunity to speak with you.

He should have been allowed to speak and forced to defend his views.

On the upside, there is no taxation system to speak of.

We kind of let the lay of the land speak to us in designing.

Landscapes shape us and speak to us on a primal level.

If you give them the opportunity to speak and let them know you are listening you'll make a favorable impression.

On the downside, there is no government to speak of either.

Women and men speak their own languages, but research reveals the conversational gender divide is not as.

Hire people who live and breathe numbers and who speak multiple languages.

The pioneer primatologist travels the globe to speak up for the captive and orphaned kin of wild chimpanzees.

Science, contrary to popular thinking, has no basis from which to speak to moral issues.

Lisa did not speak to me for the rest of the day, and later in the week she got revenge by flinging peas in my hair and face.

Even if you don't speak the same language as the people you encounter, you'll have their words translated for you in real time.

How to communicate in a foreign land when you can't speak a word.

However, in contrast to those millions of years you speak of, professional therapy is a strange affair.

And while the feast was fresh in people's memory, they affected to speak of the.

And whatever you do, don't be afraid to sally forth and speak up.

Language defines a culture, through the people who speak it and what it allows speakers to say.

Efforts to make computers speak naturally will let machines better communicate meaning.

Geologists often speak of deep time, the great spans over which the subtlest forces can remake a landscape.

People need to stand up and speak out and risk losing their job, or sit there and take it.

We choose these moments, and these things become invested with values that continue to speak to us today.

Now is the time to speak out for those lost voices smothered behind iron.

Creekmore had the genius to step aside and let the artist speak for himself.

The result is a robotic face that can speak three languages and carry on a conversation with two emotions: happy and sad.

To see the hat speak to a part of a person that doesn't ordinarily come forward.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged

a combining form extracted from newspeak, used in the formation of compound words, usually derogatory, that denote the style or vocabulary of a discipline, person, era, etc., as specified by the initial element: adspeak; artspeak; futurespeak.

Link To Speak

Collins

World English Dictionary

speak (spiːk)

—vb (foll by for) , speaks, speaking, spoke, spoken
1.	to make (verbal utterances); utter (words)
2.	to communicate or express (something) in or as if in words: I speak the truth
3.	(intr) to deliver a speech, discourse, etc
4.	(tr) to know how to talk in (a language or dialect): he does not speak German
5.	(intr) to make a characteristic sound: the clock spoke
6.	(intr) (of dogs, esp hounds used in hunting) to give tongue; bark
7.	(tr) nautical to hail and converse or communicate with (another vessel) at sea
8.	(intr) (of a musical instrument) to produce a sound
9.	to be a representative or advocate (of): he speaks for all the members
10.	on speaking terms on good terms; friendly
11.	so to speak in a manner of speaking; as it were
12.	speak one's mind to express one's opinions frankly and plainly
13.	to speak of of a significant or worthwhile nature: we have had no support to speak of

[Old English specan; related to Old High German spehhan, Middle High German spechten to gossip, Middle Dutch speken; see speech]

'speakable

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

speak

O.E. specan, variant of sprecan "to speak" (class V strong verb; past tense spræc, pp. sprecen), from P.Gmc. *sprekanan (cf. O.S. sprecan, O.Fris. spreka, M.Du. spreken, O.H.G. sprehhan, Ger. sprechen "to speak," O.N. spraki "rumor, report"), cognate with L. spargere "to strew" (speech as a "scattering"

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of words; see sparse). The -r- began to drop out in Late West Saxon and was gone by mid-12c., perhaps from infl. of Dan. spage "crackle," in a slang sense of "speak" (cf. crack in slang senses having to do with speech, e.g. wisecrack, cracker, all it's cracked up to be). Rare variant forms without -r- also are found in M.Du. (speken) and O.H.G. (spehhan). Not the primary word for "to speak" in O.E. ("Beowulf" prefers maþelian, from mæþel "assembly, council," from root of metan "to meet;" cf. Gk. agoreuo "to speak," originally "speak in the assembly," from agora "assembly").

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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

speak

In addition to the idioms beginning with speak, also see actions speak louder than words; in a manner of speaking; nothing to speak of; not to mention (speak of); on speaking terms; so to speak; to speak of.

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