speak up

verb

spoke up; spoken up; speaking up; speaks up
Synonyms of speak upnext

intransitive verb

1
: to speak loudly and distinctly
2
: to express an opinion freely
speak up for truth and justice …Clive 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.
American governments would routinely speak up to support democratic champions who spoke out against regimes defined by a similar lexicon of terror in Latin America, Africa, or Asia. Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026 Lemon has been unable to comment on his own arrest, but his former employer spoke up for him. David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026 Rather than sit silently as a bystander, Amber frequently spoke up to expand on the data being presented. Chris Lipp, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Her time spent training has helped give her the fuel to continue speaking up and resisting ICE’s presence in the city. David Gleisner, Outside, 29 Jan. 2026 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 1 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

speak up

verb

More from Merriam-Webster on speak up

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