1
: delivered by word of mouth : oral
2
: characterized by speaking in (such) a manner
—used in combination
soft-spoken
plainspoken
Examples of spoken in a Sentence
a spoken agreement is too easily broken
a politician who knows the power of the spoken word
Recent Examples on the Web
Children who are born without significant hearing in either ear are not as likely to develop spoken language skills.
—
Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
Romansh, which sounds closer to northern-Italian dialects than to the modern language spoken in Florence or Rome, is a battered remnant of spoken Late Latin which escaped standardization mostly by being tucked away in the Alps.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
There was a spoken-word poet, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who was absolutely moving.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Like tongue in English, the Croatian word jezik refers to both language and the tongue in our mouths—the spoken word, and the muscle that shapes it, or gets bitten when silence is safer.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spoken
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Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
Romansh, which sounds closer to northern-Italian dialects than to the modern language spoken in Florence or Rome, is a battered remnant of spoken Late Latin which escaped standardization mostly by being tucked away in the Alps.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
There was a spoken-word poet, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who was absolutely moving.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Like tongue in English, the Croatian word jezik refers to both language and the tongue in our mouths—the spoken word, and the muscle that shapes it, or gets bitten when silence is safer.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spoken
Cite this Entry
“Spoken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoken. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spoken
adjective
spo·ken
ˈspō-kən 
1
: given by or using speech
a spoken message
the spoken language
2
: speaking in a specified manner
soft-spoken
plainspoken
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