speak up

verb

spoke up; spoken up; speaking up; speaks up

intransitive verb

1
: to speak loudly and distinctly
2
: to express an opinion freely
speak up for truth and justiceClive Bell

Examples of speak up in a Sentence

she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But individual commissioners have spoken up on either side of it. Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025 Council failed to speak up about recent threats facing the immigrant community, Mateo-Pascual said, including the controversial immigration enforcement bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025 Why haven't our players and the PGA spoken up to condemn them? Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025 Clubhouse leaders — according to a team source, specifically Hoerner, Swanson and Ian Happ — made sure to speak up. Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for speak up

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of speak up was in 1681

Cite this Entry

“Speak up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speak%20up. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

speak up

verb

More from Merriam-Webster on speak up

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