talk
to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking: to talk about poetry.
to consult or confer: Talk with your adviser.
to spread a rumor or tell a confidence; gossip.
to chatter or prate.
to employ speech; perform the act of speaking: to talk very softly; to talk into a microphone.
to deliver a speech, lecture, etc.: The professor talked on the uses of comedy in the tragedies of Shakespeare.
to give or reveal confidential or incriminating information: After a long interrogation, the spy finally talked.
to communicate ideas by means other than speech, as by writing, signs, or signals.
Computers. to transmit data, as between computers or between a computer and a terminal.
to make sounds imitative or suggestive of speech.
to express in words; utter: to talk sense.
to use (a specified language or idiom) in speaking or conversing: They talk French together for practice.
to discuss: to talk politics.
Informal. (used only in progressive tenses) to focus on; signify or mean; talk about: This isn't a question of a few hundred dollars—we're talking serious money.
to bring, put, drive, influence, etc., by talk: to talk a person to sleep; to talk a person into doing something.
the act of talking; speech; conversation, especially of a familiar or informal kind.
an informal speech or lecture.
a conference or negotiating session: peace talks.
report or rumor; gossip: There is a lot of talk going around about her.
a subject or occasion of talking, especially of gossip: Your wild escapades are the talk of the neighborhood.
mere empty speech: That's just a lot of talk.
a way of talking: a halting, lisping talk.
language, dialect, or lingo.
signs or sounds imitative or suggestive of speech, as the noise made by loose parts in a mechanism.
talk around, to bring (someone) over to one's way of thinking; persuade: She sounded adamant over the phone, but I may still be able to talk her around.
talk at,
to talk to in a manner that indicates that a response is not expected or wanted.
to direct remarks meant for one person to another person present; speak indirectly to.
talk away, to spend or consume (time) in talking: We talked away the tedious hours in the hospital.
talk back, to reply to a command, request, etc., in a rude or disrespectful manner: Her father never allowed them to talk back.
talk down,
to overwhelm by force of argument or by loud and persistent talking; subdue by talking.
to speak disparagingly of; belittle.
Also talk in. to give instructions to by radio for a ground-controlled landing, especially to a pilot who is unable to make a conventional landing because of snow, fog, etc.
talk down to, to speak condescendingly to; patronize: Children dislike adults who talk down to them.
talk of, to debate as a possibility; discuss: The two companies have been talking of a merger.
talk out,
to talk until conversation is exhausted.
to attempt to reach a settlement or understanding by discussion: We arrived at a compromise by talking out the problem.
British Politics. to thwart the passage of (a bill, motion, etc.) by prolonging discussion until the session of Parliament adjourns.: Compare filibuster (def. 5).
talk over,
to weigh in conversation; consider; discuss.
to cause (someone) to change an opinion; convince by talking: He became an expert at talking people over to his views.
talk up,
to promote interest in; discuss enthusiastically.
to speak without hesitation; speak distinctly and openly: If you don't talk up now, you may not get another chance.
Idioms about talk
talk big, Informal. to speak boastingly; brag: He always talked big, but never amounted to anything.
talk someone's head / ear off, to bore or weary someone by excessive talk; talk incessantly: All I wanted was a chance to read my book, but my seatmate talked my ear off.
talk to death,
to impede or prevent the passage of (a bill) through filibustering.
to talk to incessantly or at great length.
Origin of talk
1synonym study For talk
Other words for talk
Other words from talk
- talk·a·ble, adjective
- talk·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- talker, noun
- in·ter·talk, verb (used without object)
- non·talk·er, noun
- o·ver·talk, verb
- un·der·talk, noun
- un·talk·ing, adjective
Words Nearby talk
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use talk in a sentence
It is encouraging to see many American companies, large and small, speak out about issues of racial inequity, though not all have backed up their talk with action.
To fight systemic racism, the investment industry needs to look at its whiteness first | jakemeth | September 10, 2020 | FortunePrime Minister Boris Johnson signaled he would let the talks collapse if a deal isn’t made before mid-October rather than compromise.
Lagging stocks, a battered pound: investors get a painful glimpse of ‘no-deal Brexit’ Britain | Bernhard Warner | September 9, 2020 | FortuneThe first wave of responses was to move to online events, virtual summits and a variety of webinars, but there’s also the question of informal talks and sales meetings that need to be rethought in order to maintain the quality of interaction.
How would an SEO agency be built today? Part 1: Consumers and trends | Sponsored Content: SEOmonitor | September 4, 2020 | Search Engine Land“We had the talk,” said Laurel Rossi, chief partnerships officer at Organic.
‘Safe and healthy’: As in person meetings resume, business execs are having the coronavirus ‘talk’ | Kristina Monllos | September 4, 2020 | DigidayVirtual events are the talk of marketing departments these days.
How are you feeling about attending in-person events in 2021? Answer our short survey | Henry Powderly | September 4, 2020 | Search Engine Land
What celebrity has started to talk about his or her eating disorder?
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models | Carrie Arnold | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHopefully not overly close, but we talk about it in the episode how similar it is.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEarlier this week, Huckabee ended his Fox News talk show so he could spend time mulling another bid for the Republican nomination.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThose who come to the Dinner Party are self-selecting; they do want to talk about it.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone | Samantha Levine | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTSurely all this graphic talk of gastrointestinal distress is making you queasy.
And is this a mere fantastic talk, or is this a thing that could be done and that ought to be done?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsOur talk ranged from the Panhandle to the Canada line, while our horses jogged steadily southward.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairAbove all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing army in the midst of peace and among a free people.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan SwiftTo talk German was beyond the sweep of my dizziest ambition, but an Italian runner or porter instantly presented himself.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyHe can't talk much, though; 'tain't good fur him; his lungs is out er kilter.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
British Dictionary definitions for talk
/ (tɔːk) /
(intr; often foll by to or with) to express one's thoughts, feelings, or desires by means of words (to); speak (to)
(intr) to communicate or exchange thoughts by other means: lovers talk with their eyes
(intr usually foll by about) to exchange ideas, pleasantries, or opinions (about): to talk about the weather
(intr) to articulate words; verbalize: his baby can talk
(tr) to give voice to; utter: to talk rubbish
(tr) to hold a conversation about; discuss: to talk business
(intr) to reveal information: the prisoner talked after torture
(tr) to know how to communicate in (a language or idiom): he talks English
(intr) to spread rumours or gossip: we don't want the neighbours to talk
(intr) to make sounds suggestive of talking
(intr) to be effective or persuasive: money talks
now you're talking informal at last you're saying something agreeable
talk big to boast or brag
talk shop to speak about one's work, esp when meeting socially, sometimes with the effect of excluding those not similarly employed
talk the talk to speak convincingly on a particular subject, showing apparent mastery of its jargon and themes; often used in combination with the expression walk the walk: See also walk (def. 18b)
you can talk informal you don't have to worry about doing a particular thing yourself
you can't talk informal you yourself are guilty of offending in the very matter you are decrying
a speech or lecture: a talk on ancient Rome
an exchange of ideas or thoughts: a business talk with a colleague
idle chatter, gossip, or rumour: there has been a lot of talk about you two
a subject of conversation; theme: our talk was of war
(often plural) a conference, discussion, or negotiation: talks about a settlement
a specific manner of speaking: children's talk
Origin of talk
1- See also talk about, talk at, talk back, talk down, talk into, talk out, talk round, talk through, talk up
Derived forms of talk
- talkable, adjective
- talkability, noun
- talker, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with talk
In addition to the idioms beginning with talk
- talk around
- talk at
- talk back
- talk big
- talk dirty
- talk down
- talk down to
- talked out
- talk into
- talk of the town, the
- talk out
- talk out of
- talk over
- talk sense
- talk shop
- talk someone's arm off
- talk through one's hat
- talk to
- talk turkey
- talk up
also see:
- all talk
- dirty joke (talk dirty)
- double talk
- heart to heart (talk)
- look who's talking
- money talks
- now you're talking
- small talk
- straight talk
- sweet talk
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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