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 of speak up

• 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

Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026

Not long after Cowdray, the Dorchester president, got up to present, Opperman spoke up. — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026

She's become an outspoken advocate against the plant, speaking up at city meetings and leading the Safe and Sound Coalition as its director. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

If something’s changed, speak up instead of pretending everything is business as usual, Aquarius. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

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