1
: delivered by word of mouth : oral
2
: characterized by speaking in (such) a manner
—used in combination
soft-spoken
plainspoken
Synonyms
Examples of spoken in a Sentence
a spoken agreement is too easily broken
a politician who knows the power of the spoken word
Recent Examples on the Web
The New Orleans quartet’s songs were constantly shifting in surprising ways — spiky guitar shifts, jittery math rock drums, droning mile a minute spoken word.
—
Journal Sentinel, 23 Apr. 2024
By building oral language, children develop phonemic awareness and learn to notice, think about and work with the individual sounds in spoken words — skills taught and developed in transitional kindergarten.
—Ana Tramp, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In 2017, Burnett won a Grammy for best spoken word album for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem & Fun in the Sandbox.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
The spoken interludes on the album bring in Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Linda Martell—the first Black woman to have sung at the Grand Ole Opry.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The spoken and unspoken risks of not meeting these targets include public scrutiny or penalties/taxes that result in the encroachment of enterprise value.
—Dasha Shunina, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Power is hidden by nature, only coming to light through spoken rituals.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Though filmed in Vancouver, the vast majority of Shōgun’s spoken lines are in Japanese, delivered by an almost exclusively Japanese cast.
—Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
The adaptation features every song from the original score, with intermittent spoken dialogue.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 23 Apr. 2024
By building oral language, children develop phonemic awareness and learn to notice, think about and work with the individual sounds in spoken words — skills taught and developed in transitional kindergarten.
—Ana Tramp, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
In 2017, Burnett won a Grammy for best spoken word album for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem & Fun in the Sandbox.
—Paul Grein, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
The spoken interludes on the album bring in Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Linda Martell—the first Black woman to have sung at the Grand Ole Opry.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The spoken and unspoken risks of not meeting these targets include public scrutiny or penalties/taxes that result in the encroachment of enterprise value.
—Dasha Shunina, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Power is hidden by nature, only coming to light through spoken rituals.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024
Though filmed in Vancouver, the vast majority of Shōgun’s spoken lines are in Japanese, delivered by an almost exclusively Japanese cast.
—Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
The adaptation features every song from the original score, with intermittent spoken dialogue.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spoken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spoken
Cite this Entry
“Spoken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoken. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spoken
adjective
spo·ken
ˈspō-kən 
1
: given by or using speech
a spoken message
the spoken language
2
: speaking in a specified manner
soft-spoken
plainspoken
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