- 1
To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud.intransitive
- I was so surprised I couldn't speak.
- You're speaking too fast.
- 2
To have a conversation.intransitivereciprocal
- It's been ages since we've spoken.
- 3
To communicate or converse by some means other than orally, such as writing or facial expressions.broadly
- He spoke of it in his diary.
- Speak to me only with your eyes.
- 4
To deliver a message to a group; to deliver a speech.intransitive
- This evening I shall speak on the topic of correct English usage.
- 5
To be able to communicate in a language.stativetransitive
- He speaks Mandarin fluently.
- 6
To be able to communicate in a language.; To be able to communicate in the manner of specialists in a field.broadlystativetransitive
- Even those who did 'speak computer' did so sometimes in a less than fluent way which required a jump to be made from a press-the-right-button stage to having the confidence to experiment.
- 7
To utter.transitive
- I was so surprised that I couldn't speak a word.
- 8
To communicate (some fact or feeling); to bespeak, to indicate.transitive
- Their behaviour to each other speaks the most cordial confidence and happiness.
- There he sat, his very indifference speaking a nature in which there lurked no civilized hypocrisies and bland deceits.
- 9
To understand (as though it were a language).humorousinformalsometimes
- Sorry, I don't speak idiot.
- So you can program in C. But do you speak C++?
- 10
To produce a sound; to sound.intransitive
- Make all our trumpets speak.
syn. articulate · talk · verbalize · babble · blab · chat · chatter · converse · discuss · jabber · moot · open one's mouth
ant. be silent