speak of

phrasal verb

spoke of; spoken of; speaking of; speaks of

1

: to talk or write about (someone or something) : to mention (a subject) in speech or writing

Speaking of Jill, where is she?

It was the first time she spoke of going to law school.

She never speaks of her suffering during the war.

In the letter, he spoke of feeling ill.

2

: to indicate or suggest (something)

His diaries speak of a troubled mind.

3

: to talk about (someone or something) in a specified way

He spoke well/highly/favorably of both job candidates.

4

chiefly US : to show that (someone or something) does or does not deserve to be praised, admired, etc.

The continued success of the business speaks well of their judgment.

Her bad behavior speaks poorly of her upbringing.

Examples of speak of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The modest slog means the beach is usually quiet, though there are no organized facilities to speak of, beyond a portaloo back in the car park. —Jo Rodgers, Vogue, 3 May 2024

While Patek Philippe speaks of its diversity of collections, perhaps Audemars Piguet—with its one big hero watch—is working toward an entirely different kind of diversity. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 3 May 2024

At a masterclass on Thursday morning, Zhang spoke of his filmmaking techniques and priorities, his enduring quest for the human touch and why not all films need to be masterpieces. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 2 May 2024

Growing up, Noé Álvarez’s working class Mexican immigrant parents rarely spoke of his larger-than-life grandfather. —Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 May 2024

And speaking of that clash of worldviews, find someone who loves you like this show loves to ironically juxtapose scenes of despair or stylized, gory violence with upbeat or wistful Forties and Fifties pop songs. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024

But speaking of Team Evolve, will the next album project be a pivot back to more obviously mainstream fare, or…? —Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024

Actually, speaking of The Post, Melissa [Benoist] shadowed Ashley Parker. —Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Slater speaks of this life stage with gratitude for the opportunities it's provided—like access to a wealth of influential people in the fashion industry and travel experiences in new destinations—but always from a place of removal. —Mercedes Bleth, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Mar. 2024