talk
[ tawk ]
/ tɔk /
verb (used without object)
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.
verb (used with object)
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.
noun
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.
Verb Phrases
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 for 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.
- to impede or prevent the passage of (a bill) through filibustering.
- to talk to incessantly or at great length.
talk to death,
Origin of talk
1175–1225; Middle English
talk(i)en to converse, speak, derivative (with
-k suffix) of
tale speech, discourse,
tale; cognate with Frisian (E dial.)
talken
SYNONYMS FOR talk
OTHER WORDS FROM talk
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
Words nearby talk
Words related to talking
Example sentences from the Web for talking
Parents are talking about it, schools are talking about it, even kids themselves are talking about it.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models |Carrie Arnold |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEASTTalking about death is never easy, but with food, comfort, and familiarity, a new kind of dinner party is making it easier.
But they [Castro and Chito] must have been talking business.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro |Bill Conroy |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEASTLike his old man, he keeps it reined in, but when talking about fishing, a true regret seeps out.
And Marvin never tires of looking at it or talking about it.
But in talking about his own son's wife, no word as to her eligibility or non-eligibility in this respect escaped his lips.
The Last Chronicle of Barset |Anthony TrollopeThe apology for tea was brought, and both accepted it, talking of trivialities.
Scarlet and Hyssop |E. F. BensonBud Hyslop and a stranger were talking together a little apart from Dan.
Gypsies of the Air |Bess MoyerWhat talking could possibly be of service to such a one as this Miss Amedroz?
The Belton Estate |Anthony TrollopeBy some means you have made me feel to-night just as I did that day when I was talking with her the last time.
The Missionary |George Griffith
British Dictionary definitions for talking
talk
/ (tɔːk) /
verb
(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
noun
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
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, nounWord Origin for talk
C13
talkien to talk; related to Old English
talu
tale, Frisian
talken to talk
Idioms and Phrases with talking
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