speak
To use your voice to say words.
To use your voice to say words so that others can hear them.
To talk with someone.
To talk or converse with someone, especially for a purpose or exchange of information.
To say what you think or feel using words.
To express an idea, opinion, or feeling using spoken words.
To talk to a group of people in a formal way.
To address an audience formally, often as part of a meeting, conference, or event.
To use a language when you talk.
To use a particular language when talking.
- Base: speak
- 3rd Person Singular: speaks
- Present Participle: speaking
- Past: spoke
- Past Participle: spoken
- Irregular past: spoke Verb
- Irregular past participle: spoken Verb
so to speak
1'in a manner of speaking' phrase
Used when what you say is not exactly true, but expresses your meaning in another way.
- We had to fight for our rights, so to speak.
- He's the brains of the operation, so to speak.
speak up
1talk louder so others hear you
To talk louder so people can hear you better.
- Could you speak up? I can't hear you from the back.
- She spoke up so everyone could hear her question.
frankly speaking
1'honestly saying' phrase intro
Used before saying something in an honest and direct way.
- Frankly speaking, I don't think this will work.
- Frankly speaking, you should have been more careful.
frankly speaking
2honestly speaking
Used before saying something in a very honest and direct way.
- Frankly speaking, I don’t trust him.
- Frankly speaking, the project has many problems.
speak of the devil
1'person appears after mention' idiom
Said when someone appears just after you have been talking about them.
- Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you.
- Speak of the devil—here’s Anna now, just as we were talking about her new job.
- And then, speak of the devil, he walked into the room.
- We were complaining about our boss when, speak of the devil, he walked into the room.