The Collaborative International Dictionary
Speak \Speak\, v. i. [imp. Spoke( SpakeArchaic); p. p. Spoken( Spoke, Obs. or Colloq.); p. pr. & vb. n. Speaking.] [OE. speken, AS. specan, sprecan; akin to OF.ries. spreka, D. spreken, OS. spreken, G. sprechen, OHG. sprehhan, and perhaps to Skr. sph[=u]rj to crackle, to thunder. Cf. Spark of fire, Speech.]
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To utter words or articulate sounds, as human beings; to express thoughts by words; as, the organs may be so obstructed that a man may not be able to speak.
Till at the last spake in this manner.
--Chaucer.Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.
--1 Sam. iii. 9. -
To express opinions; to say; to talk; to converse.
That fluid substance in a few minutes begins to set, as the tradesmen speak.
--Boyle.An honest man, is able to speak for himself, when a knave is not.
--Shak.During the century and a half which followed the Conquest, there is, to speak strictly, no English history.
--Macaulay. -
To utter a speech, discourse, or harangue; to adress a public assembly formally.
Many of the nobility made themselves popular by speaking in Parliament against those things which were most grateful to his majesty.
--Clarendon. -
To discourse; to make mention; to tell.
Lycan speaks of a part of C[ae]sar's army that came to him from the Leman Lake.
--Addison. -
To give sound; to sound.
Make all our trumpets speak.
--Shak. -
To convey sentiments, ideas, or intelligence as if by utterance; as, features that speak of self-will.
Thine eye begins to speak.
--Shak.To speak of, to take account of, to make mention of.
--Robynson (More's Utopia).To speak out, to speak loudly and distinctly; also, to speak unreservedly.
To speak well for, to commend; to be favorable to.
To speak with, to converse with. ``Would you speak with me?''
--Shak.Syn: To say; tell; talk; converse; discourse; articulate; pronounce; utter.
Usage examples of "to speak out".
Lobia was in there somewhere, lost among countless ghosts, just waiting to speak out.
That a committee was always present in Europe to speak out on the standardization of the screwhead—.
She hoped Fhrio's was doing the same, for there was no mistaking the Whisperer's Dam when She chose to speak out loud .
The rumors say he has been using his power to speak out against a new tax the Masra'et wishes to establish, so they called on him to lead the dawnlight ritual, hoping that the honor of it would soften him.
He tried to speak out, but only undecipherable blabber came past his trembling lips.
Therefore, he wants to be absolutely certain he's got most of the story before he dares to speak out.
The correspondent despaired that there were so few people like Einstein who had the courage to speak out, and he wondered if it would not be best to return the world to the animals.