talk

[ tawk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking:

   to talk about poetry.

2. to consult or confer:

   Talk with your adviser.

3. to spread a rumor or tell a confidence; gossip.
4. to chatter or prate.

   Synonyms: prattle

5. to employ speech; perform the act of speaking:

   to talk very softly; to talk into a microphone.

6. to deliver a speech, lecture, etc.:

   The professor talked on the uses of comedy in the tragedies of Shakespeare.

7. to give or reveal confidential or incriminating information:

   After a long interrogation, the spy finally talked.

8. to communicate ideas by means other than speech, as by writing, signs, or signals.
9. Computers. to transmit data, as between computers or between a computer and a terminal.
10. to make sounds imitative or suggestive of speech.

verb (used with object)

1. to express in words; utter:

   to talk sense.

2. to use (a specified language or idiom) in speaking or conversing:

   They talk French together for practice.

3. to discuss:

   to talk politics.

4. 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.

5. to bring, put, drive, influence, etc., by talk:

   to talk a person to sleep; to talk a person into doing something.

noun

1. the act of talking; speech; conversation, especially of a familiar or informal kind.
2. an informal speech or lecture.

   Synonyms: confabulation, parley, dialogue, colloquy

3. a conference or negotiating session:

   peace talks.

4. report or rumor; gossip:

   There is a lot of talk going around about her.

5. a subject or occasion of talking, especially of gossip:

   Your wild escapades are the talk of the neighborhood.

   Synonyms: prattle

6. mere empty speech:

   That's just a lot of talk.

7. a way of talking:

   a halting, lisping talk.

8. language, dialect, or lingo.
9. signs or sounds imitative or suggestive of speech, as the noise made by loose parts in a mechanism.

verb phrase

1. 1. to weigh in conversation; consider; discuss.
   2. to cause (someone) to change an opinion; convince by talking:

      He became an expert at talking people over to his views.

2. 1. to promote interest in; discuss enthusiastically.
   2. to speak without hesitation; speak distinctly and openly:

      If you don't talk up now, you may not get another chance.

3. to reply to a command, request, etc., in a rude or disrespectful manner:

   Her father never allowed them to talk back.

4. 1. to overwhelm by force of argument or by loud and persistent talking; subdue by talking.
   2. to speak disparagingly of; belittle.
   3. 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.
5. 1. to talk until conversation is exhausted.
   2. to attempt to reach a settlement or understanding by discussion:

      We arrived at a compromise by talking out the problem.

   3. British Politics. to thwart the passage of (a bill, motion, etc.) by prolonging discussion until the session of Parliament adjourns. Compare filibuster ( def 5 ).
6. to speak condescendingly to; patronize:

   Children dislike adults who talk down to them.

7. 1. to talk to in a manner that indicates that a response is not expected or wanted.
   2. to direct remarks meant for one person to another person present; speak indirectly to.
8. to debate as a possibility; discuss:

   The two companies have been talking of a merger.

9. 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.

10. to spend or consume (time) in talking:

    We talked away the tedious hours in the hospital.

talk

/ tɔːk /

verb

1. intr; often foll by to or with to express one's thoughts, feelings, or desires by means of words (to); speak (to)
2. intr to communicate or exchange thoughts by other means

   lovers talk with their eyes

3. intrusually foll byabout to exchange ideas, pleasantries, or opinions (about)

   to talk about the weather

4. intr to articulate words; verbalize

   his baby can talk

5. tr to give voice to; utter

   to talk rubbish

6. tr to hold a conversation about; discuss

   to talk business

7. intr to reveal information

   the prisoner talked after torture

8. tr to know how to communicate in (a language or idiom)

   he talks English

9. intr to spread rumours or gossip

   we don't want the neighbours to talk

10. intr to make sounds suggestive of talking
11. intr to be effective or persuasive

    money talks

12. now you're talking informal.
    at last you're saying something agreeable
13. talk big
    to boast or brag
14. talk shop
    to speak about one's work, esp when meeting socially, sometimes with the effect of excluding those not similarly employed
15. 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
16. you can talk informal.
    you don't have to worry about doing a particular thing yourself
17. you can't talk informal.
    you yourself are guilty of offending in the very matter you are decrying

noun

1. a speech or lecture

   a talk on ancient Rome

2. an exchange of ideas or thoughts

   a business talk with a colleague

3. idle chatter, gossip, or rumour

   there has been a lot of talk about you two

4. a subject of conversation; theme

   our talk was of war

5. often plural a conference, discussion, or negotiation

   talks about a settlement

6. a specific manner of speaking

   children's talk

Derived Forms

• ˈtalker, noun
• ˈtalkable, adjective
• ˌtalkaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• talka·ble adjective
• talka·bili·ty noun
• talker noun
• inter·talk verb (used without object)
• non·talker noun
• over·talk verb
• under·talk noun
• un·talking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of talk¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English talk(i)en “to converse, speak,” derivative (with -k suffix) of tale “speech, discourse,” tale; cognate with Frisian (eastern dialect) talken

Word History and Origins

Origin of talk¹

C13 talkien to talk; related to Old English talu tale , Frisian talken to talk

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. talk big, Informal. to speak boastingly; brag:

   He always talked big, but never amounted to anything.

2. 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.

3. talk to death,
   1. to impede or prevent the passage of (a bill) through filibustering.
   2. to talk to incessantly or at great length.

More idioms and phrases containing talk

• 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

Synonym Study

See speak.

Example Sentences

Though negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be bearing fruit, parallel talks to end the war in Gaza have been deadlocked for months.

From BBC

He got no further and was not even given the name of a clinician in Edinburgh he could talk to about his patient.

From BBC

It is extremely rare for service members to talk to journalists.

From BBC

The "Twisters" and "Top Gun: Maverick" star was the talk of his hometown Austin, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 24, according to People.

From Salon

All Porsha talked about was her devastation of losing the pregnancy.

From Salon

Related Words

• argument
• conference
• consultation
• conversation
• deliberation
• dialogue
• interview
• meeting
• negotiation
• seminar
• symposium
• visit

More About Talk

What is a basic definition of talk?

Talk means to use speech in order to communicate or exchange ideas. Talk also means to gossip. As a noun talk refers to a conversation. Talk has many other senses as both a verb and a noun.

When you talk, you use spoken language to communicate rather than gestures or written words. People talk to each other every day when they have chats, tell jokes, argue, or negotiate.

• Real-life examples: You talked to someone today if you spoke to them about something. It is common for people to talk to each other over the phone or by using live video. People often get lonely when they have no one to talk to.
• Used in a sentence: When Juan talked to his parents about his grades, he felt better.

Talk can also mean to spread rumors or gossip. When you talk about someone, you are not talking to them but to other people.

• Used in a sentence: The mysterious new building on the edge of town got people talking about what it would be used for. 

Talk used in this same sense as a noun means gossip or rumors.

• Used in a sentence: There’s talk around the studio that the director is working on a secret movie project. 

Talk is also used as a noun to mean a conversation or a discussion.

• Used in a sentence: I had a serious talk with my daughter about sneaking animals into the house. 

Where does talk come from?

The first records of talk come from around 1175. It comes from the Middle English verb talkien. It is related to the Old English talu, meaning “tale.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to talk?

• talkable (adjective)
• talkability (noun)
• talker (noun)
• intertalk (verb)
• nontalker (noun)
• overtalk (verb)

What are some synonyms for talk?

• speak
• chat
• say
• gossip 
• rumor
• conversation
• discussion

What are some words that share a root or word element with talk? 

• talkative
• talky
• talk about
• talk down to
• talk into
• talk of the town

What are some words that often get used in discussing talk?

• communication
• language
• loudly
• quietly
• friendly
• serious

How is talk used in real life?

Talk is a very common word that most often means to communicate using speech.

As I turn 43 my only regret is not having children sooner. Nearly every man I talk to says the same. “Wish I had one more, and started sooner.”

— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 17, 2020

I know there's a lot of talk going around but, no, I won't be joining the Spice Girls reunion tour

— David Lazarus (@Davidlaz) November 5, 2018

I had a talk with my Dad and realized age really does help in knowing what to do in certain situations.

— CLG Void (@gsmVoiD) January 20, 2016

Try using talk!

Is talk used correctly in the following sentence?

He decided to talk to his wife about buying a dog, and they discussed it for a long time.