bespeak

verb

be·​speak bi-ˈspēk 

bē-

bespoke bi-ˈspōk 

bē-

; bespoken bi-ˈspō-kən 

bē-

; bespeaking

transitive verb

1

: to hire, engage, or claim beforehand

2

: to speak to especially with formality : address

3

: request

bespeak a favor

4

a

: indicate, signify

her performance bespeaks considerable practice

b

: to show beforehand : foretell

Synonyms

• book
• reserve

Examples of bespeak in a Sentence

Her newest album bespeaks a great talent for writing songs.

bespoke the rental car weeks in advance of their trip

Recent Examples on the Web

Apple has long tended to its walled garden of in-house products, which has resulted in a uniform line of apps and accessories bespoke to its tech—and a whopping antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2024

Younger shoppers, raised on private labels, have never known a time when store brands bespoke culinary misery. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024

Its level — a market value of $2.4 trillion, a dividend yield of 0.04%, a PE ratio of 58 — bespeaks a market of astonishing optimism, pricing in breakneck future growth. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Aug. 2024

Her own story bespeaks an iron-willed mind that won’t quit: Now 75, Breillat soldiered on after a stroke in 2004 that left her partly paralyzed and contributed to the 10-year gap since her last project. —Nicolas Rapold, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bespeak

verb

be·​speak bi-ˈspēk 

bespoke -ˈspōk  ; bespoken -ˈspō-kən  ; bespeaking

1

: to ask or arrange for in advance

2

: to make plain : show

her performance bespeaks much practice