talk
Other forms: talking; talked; talks
When you open your mouth and say something, you talk. You tell someone something, or have a conversation, or exchange information. A speech can also be called a talk.
Talk is a word that’s always connected to speaking. In a movie, a hero being tortured by bad guys might be told that they will "make him talk," which means they want him to reveal secret info. Someone who is "the talk of the town" is being gossiped about by everyone. If someone says, "We need to talk," it often means they have bad news for you. Anytime people are conversing, chatting, or blabbing, they're talking.
Definitions of talk
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use language“the baby talks already”
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synonyms:
speak
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types:
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run on
talk or narrate at length
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smatter
speak with spotty or superficial knowledge
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slang
use slang or vulgar language
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type of:
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communicate, intercommunicate
transmit thoughts or feelings
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run on
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express in speech“She talks a lot of nonsense”
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types:
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read
look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed
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phonate, vocalise, vocalize
utter speech sounds
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troll
speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice
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begin
begin to speak or say
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lip off, shoot one's mouth off
speak spontaneously and without restraint
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shout
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
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whisper
speak softly; in a low voice
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peep
speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice
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speak up
speak louder; raise one's voice
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snap, snarl
utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
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enthuse
utter with enthusiasm
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speak in tongues
speak unintelligibly in or as if in religious ecstasy
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swallow
utter indistinctly
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verbalise, verbalize
be verbose
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whiff
utter with a puff of air
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talk about, talk of
discuss or mention
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blubber, blubber out
utter while crying
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drone, drone on
talk in a monotonous voice
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bumble, falter, stammer, stutter
speak haltingly
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rasp
utter in a grating voice
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blunder, blunder out, blurt, blurt out, ejaculate
utter impulsively
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inflect, modulate, tone
vary the pitch of one's speech
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deliver, present
deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
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generalise, generalize
speak or write in generalities
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blab, blabber, chatter, clack, gabble, gibber, maunder, palaver, piffle, prate, prattle, tattle, tittle-tattle, twaddle, yammer
speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
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chatter
make noise as if chattering away
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jaw, rattle on, yack, yack away, yap away
talk incessantly and tiresomely
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open up
talk freely and without inhibition
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snivel, whine
talk in a tearful manner
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murmur
speak softly or indistinctly
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maunder, mumble, mussitate, mutter
talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
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slur
utter indistinctly
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bark
speak in an unfriendly tone
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bay
utter in deep prolonged tones
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jabber, mouth off, rabbit on, rant, rave, spout
talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
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hiss, sibilate, siss, sizz
express or utter with a hiss
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cackle
talk or utter in a cackling manner
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babble
utter meaningless sounds, like a baby, or utter in an incoherent way
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chant, intone, tone
utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically
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gulp
utter or make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly
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sing
produce tones with the voice
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deadpan
speak in a deliberately impassive or serious manner
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numerate
read out loud as words written numbers
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dictate
say out loud for the purpose of recording
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discuss, hash out, talk over
speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion
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blaspheme
speak of in an irreverent or impious manner
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coo
speak softly or lovingly
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scream, yell
utter or declare in a very loud voice
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holler, holler out
shout out
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roar, thunder
utter words loudly and forcefully
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rhapsodise, rhapsodize
say (something) with great enthusiasm
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orate, speechify
make speeches; hold forth, or harangue with a certain degree of formality
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babble, blather, blether, blither, smatter
talk foolishly
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susurrate
issue soft noises
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bawl, bellow
shout loudly and without restraint
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place
sing a note with the correct pitch
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troll
sing loudly and without inhibition
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croon
sing softly
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cantillate, chant, intonate, intone
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
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descant, warble, yodel
sing by changing register; sing by yodeling
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quaver, trill, warble
sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below
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treble
sing treble
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hum
sing with closed lips
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call
read aloud to check for omissions or absentees
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belt, belt out
sing loudly and forcefully
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descant on
sing a descant on a main tune or melody
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vocalise, vocalize
sing (each note a scale or in a melody) with the same vowel
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harmonise, harmonize
sing or play in harmony
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descant
sing in descant
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sing along
sing with a choir or an orchestra
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psalm
sing or celebrate in psalms
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minstrel
celebrate by singing, in the style of minstrels
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solmizate
sing using syllables like `do', `re' and `mi' to represent the tones of the scale
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chirp, tweedle
sing in modulation
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choir, chorus
sing in a choir
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sing
deliver by singing
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type of:
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communicate, intercommunicate
transmit thoughts or feelings
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exchange thoughts; talk with“We often talk business”“Actions talk louder than words”
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synonyms:
speak
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types:
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carry on, continue, go on, proceed
continue talking
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discourse, dissertate, hold forth
talk at length and formally about a topic
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pontificate
talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner
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orate
talk pompously
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talk down
speak in a condescending manner, as if to a child
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spiel
speak at great length (about something)
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dogmatise, dogmatize
speak dogmatically
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cheek
speak impudently to
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level
talk frankly with; lay it on the line
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talk turkey
discuss frankly, often in a business context
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monologuise, monologuize, soliloquise, soliloquize
talk to oneself
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converse, discourse
carry on a conversation
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butterfly, chat up, coquet, coquette, dally, flirt, mash, philander, romance
talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
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dish the dirt, gossip
wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies
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rap
talk volubly
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argue, contend, debate, fence
have an argument about something
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segue
proceed without interruption; in music or talk
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interview, question
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
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interview
discuss formally with (somebody) for the purpose of an evaluation
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interview
go for an interview in the hope of being hired
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bloviate
orate verbosely and windily
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wanton
engage in amorous play
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vamp
act seductively with (someone)
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chaffer, chat, chatter, chew the fat, chit-chat, chitchat, claver, confab, confabulate, gossip, jaw, natter, shoot the breeze, visit
talk socially without exchanging too much information
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bruit, rumor, rumour
tell or spread rumors
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jog, ramble, ramble on
continue talking or writing in a desultory manner
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type of:
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communicate, intercommunicate
transmit thoughts or feelings
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discussion; (`talk about' is a less formal alternative for `discussion of')“his poetry contains much talk about love and anger”
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type of:
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discourse, discussion, treatment
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
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discourse, discussion, treatment
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an exchange of ideas via conversation“let's have more work and less talk around here”
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synonyms:
talking
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types:
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cant, pious platitude
insincere talk about religion or morals
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dialog, dialogue, duologue
a conversation between two persons
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heart-to-heart
an intimate talk in private
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shmooze
(Yiddish) a warm heart-to-heart talk
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shop talk
talk about your business that only others in the same business can understand
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idle words, jazz, malarkey, malarky, nothingness, wind
empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk
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cackle, chatter, yack, yak, yakety-yak
noisy talk
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blether, chin music, idle talk, prate, prattle
idle or foolish and irrelevant talk
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type of:
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conversation
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
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reveal information“If you don't oblige me, I'll talk!”
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synonyms:
spill
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babble, babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, sing, spill the beans, tattle
divulge confidential information or secrets
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type of:
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tell
let something be known
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babble, babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, sing, spill the beans, tattle
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divulge confidential information or secrets“Be careful--his secretary talks”
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synonyms:
babble, babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, sing, spill the beans, tattle
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spill
reveal information
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Antonyms:
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keep one's mouth shut, keep quiet, shut one's mouth
refrain from divulging sensitive information; keep quiet about confidential information
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spill
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idle gossip or rumor“there has been talk about you lately”
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synonyms:
talk of the town
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type of:
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comment, gossip, scuttlebutt
a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people
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comment, gossip, scuttlebutt
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deliver a lecture or talk“She will talk at Rutgers next week”
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synonyms:
lecture
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types:
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preach, prophesy
deliver a sermon
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evangelise, evangelize
preach the gospel (to)
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preach, prophesy
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a speech that is open to the public
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synonyms:
lecture, public lecture
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the act of giving a talk to an audience“I attended an interesting talk on local history”
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types:
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chalk talk
a talk that uses a blackboard and chalk
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chalk talk
Pronunciation
US
/tɔk/
UK
/tɔk/
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