speaking

adjective

speak·ing | \ ˈspē-kiŋ

How to pronounce speaking (audio)

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Definition of speaking

1a : that speaks : capable of speech

b : having a population that speaks a specified language —usually used in combination English-speaking countries

c : that involves talking or giving speeches a speaking role a speaking tour

2 : highly significant or expressive : eloquent

3 : resembling a living being or a real object

Examples of speaking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Can Legendary make a Hobbs & Shaw-style team-up flick with two non-speaking kaiju? — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, "Box Office: ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ Tops $300 Million Worldwide," 5 Apr. 2021 City women are uniformly portrayed as drunk idiots, and the nearly nonexistent BIPOC appear in non-speaking roles in the service industry. — Genevieve Angelson, Town & Country, "What Watching The Apartment Tells Us About New York City Now," 16 Dec. 2020 That includes speaking time, the length of pauses between speakers, the frequency of questions and the amount of overlapping talk. — New York Times, "It’s Not Just You: In Online Meetings, Many Women Can’t Get a Word In," 14 Apr. 2020 The White House’s press briefings are full of executives from companies like Walmart and underwear manufacturer Jockey International Inc, who often get even more speaking time than the medical professionals on the White House virus task force. — Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, The New Republic, "Corporations Are Salivating Over the Coronavirus Pandemic," 3 Apr. 2020 Lizzie Williamson, a 31-year-old who drove up from North Easton, Mass., to knock on doors for Ms. Warren, had watched the debate and was frustrated with how little speaking time Ms. Warren received. — New York Times, "They’ve Both ‘Won Every Race’ So Far, and Want a Win in New Hampshire," 8 Feb. 2020 In last night’s Democratic debate, of the six presidential candidates onstage, the two women had the most speaking time. — Jameelah Nasheed, Teen Vogue, "Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar Had the Most Speaking Time at the Democratic Debate," 20 Feb. 2020 During Friday's Democratic debate, many critics noted the relatively short speaking time given to Warren in comparison with her white male competitors. — Kathleen Walsh, TheWeek, "The sidelining of Elizabeth Warren," 12 Feb. 2020 According to CBS News' analysis, Klobuchar had the second most speaking time during the debate, just behind Senator Bernie Sanders. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: The DNC raises debate requirements once again," 20 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'speaking.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Speaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speaking. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for speaking

speaking

adjective

speak·ing

Legal Definition of speaking

: addressing matters not raised in the pleadings a speaking motion

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