Meaning of speak In English

• 0 to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone:

  • Would you mind speaking more slowly, please?

  • mainly UK "Can I speak to Dan please?"

  • mainly US "Can I speak with Scott please?"

  • "Speaking." (= This is Scott.)

  • If he tells Julie what I said, I'll never speak to him again.

  • formal She spoke of her sadness over her father's death.

  • She speaks very highly of (= says good things about) the new director.

  • I can certainly come but I can't speak for my wife (= I can't tell you whether she can or not).

  • formal Who is going to speak for (= represent in a court of law) the accused?

  • He's old enough to speak for himself (= to say what he thinks).

  • I went with Ava - speaking of (= on the subject of) Ava, have you seen her new haircut?

  • We've been invited to Rachel and Jamie's wedding - speaking of which, did you know that they're moving to New York?

  • Speaking as (= with my experience as) a mother of four, I can tell you that children are exhausting.

  • Sue speaks with an American accent.

  • Why are you speaking in a whisper (= very quietly)?

  • For five whole minutes, neither of them spoke a word (= they both said nothing).

  • Historically speaking, the island is of great interest.

  • Generally speaking, it's a good school.

  • Strictly speaking (= if I behave according to the rules), I should report it to the police.

  • The manager promised that she would speak to the person responsible.

• 1 to (be able to) talk in a language:

  • He speaks fluent French.

  • How many foreign languages do you speak?

  • I couldn't speak a word of (= I did not know any) Spanish when I got there.

  • I couldn't figure out what language they were speaking.

• 2 to give a formal talk to a group of people:

  • Who is speaking in the debate tonight?

  • The Queen speaks to the nation on television every Christmas.

  • Janet is speaking for the motion (= trying to persuade the people listening that the idea is good) and Peter is speaking against (it) (= trying to persuade them that it is bad).

• 3 to show or express something without using words:

  • She was silent, but her eyes spoke her real feelings for him.

  • The whole robbery spoke of (= made it seem that there had been) inside knowledge on the part of the criminals.

• 4 used to form nouns to mean the special language used in a particular subject area or business:

  • computer-speak

  • marketing-speak

• 5 to say words, to use the voice, or to have a conversation with someone:

  • [ I ] I heard someone speaking in the hallway.

  • [ I ] Please speak louder.

  • [ I ] "I’ll never speak to you again," he said angrily.

  • [ T ] No one spoke a word (= No one said anything).

  • [ I ] She spoke in a whisper (= very quietly).

  • [ I ] Generally speaking, this is what happens when you see a nutritionist.

• 6 to talk in a language:

  • How many languages do you speak?

  • He speaks fluent Italian.

  • When I arrived in Canada, I didn’t speak a word of English (= I did not know any English).

• 7 to give a formal talk:

  • Will you be speaking at the conference?

  • Ted will speak about careers in education.

• 8 to show or express something without using words:

  • [ I always + adv/prep ] The incident spoke of shady financial dealings between the partners.

  • [ T ] Her face spoke volumes (= showed clearly what she thought).

• 9 the special language used in a particular subject area or business:

  • business-speak

  • management-speak