speak for
phrasal verb
spoke for; spoken for; speaking for; speaks for
: to express the thoughts or opinions of (someone)
They chose him to speak for the group.
Speaking only for myself, I'm against the plan.
"We don't want any dessert." "Speak for yourself. I want some."
—often used figurativelyI don't need to say more. The facts speak for themselves.
Examples of speak for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most executives assume their experience speaks for itself.
—
Gina Riley, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
First Qatar, then Senegal, Togo, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, China, Lebanon and the U.K. spoke for three minutes each, the time allotted to member states.
—Isabelle Mayault, The Dial, 8 July 2025
The paintings speak for themselves, though the show is built out into three-dimensional form with what appears to be a sort of re-creation of Hasler’s work studio, complete with an easel and a painting in progress.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The record speaks for itself, for both the White Sox and their counterparts.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for speak for
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gina Riley, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
First Qatar, then Senegal, Togo, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, China, Lebanon and the U.K. spoke for three minutes each, the time allotted to member states.
—Isabelle Mayault, The Dial, 8 July 2025
The paintings speak for themselves, though the show is built out into three-dimensional form with what appears to be a sort of re-creation of Hasler’s work studio, complete with an easel and a painting in progress.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The record speaks for itself, for both the White Sox and their counterparts.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for speak for
Cite this Entry
“Speak for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speak%20for. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share