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 justice

—Clive Bell

Synonyms

• speak out
• shout
• cry
• talk up
• yell
• pipe up
• spout (off)
• sound off

Examples of speak up in a Sentence

she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings

Recent Examples on the Web

Now everyone is pretending, and nobody wants to be the first to speak up. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025

He’s even spoken up in support of the author, who has been involved in an ongoing controversy over her comments on transgender issues. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025

He was joined by Fort Worth District 8 City Councilmember Chris Nettles, who called on residents to speak up and call their representatives to demand Collier’s release. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2025

Open Doors is a global organization that supports and speaks up for Christians persecuted for their faith. —Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for speak up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

speak up

verb

: speak out