talk

verb \ ˈtȯk \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: talk in a Sentence

Definition of talk

talked; talking; talks

intransitive verb

1 a : to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken words

b : to convey information or communicate in any way (as with signs or sounds)

can make a trumpet talk

make the computer talk to the printer

2 : to use speech : speak

3 a : to speak idly : prate

b : gossip

c : to reveal secret or confidential information

4 : to give a talk : lecture

transitive

1 : to deliver or express in speech : utter

2 : to make the subject of conversation or discourse : discuss

talk business

3 : to influence, affect, or cause by talking

talked them into going

4 : to use (a language) for conversing or communicating : speak

—

talker

noun

— talk back

: to answer impertinently

— talk sense

: to voice rational, logical, or sensible thoughts

— talk through one's hat

: to voice irrational, illogical, or erroneous ideas

— talk turkey

: to speak frankly or bluntly

See talk defined for English-language learners

See talk defined for kids

Examples of talk in a Sentence

She never talks at the meetings.
He did most of the talking during dinner.
He loves to hear himself talk.
I think she's talking a lot of nonsense.
I can't talk right now. I'm running late.
They were talking in Spanish.
We talked on the phone until midnight.
Both sides in the dispute are now willing to talk.
They are in the conference room talking business.
She had laryngitis and couldn't talk.

Recent Examples of talk from the Web

Unlike many celebrities, Garner has not shied away from talking about the process of splitting up from her famous ex.

— refinery29.com, "Jennifer Garner Claims Tabloids Created "Trouble" In Her Marriage To Ben Affleck," 13 July 2018
One thing, however, that wasn't talked about was the inclusion of plus size models in the shows.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "There Was Only One Plus Size Model During Men's Fashion Week," 13 July 2018
The reactions to the Tiger-Phil $10 million match can generally be split into two categories: about 80% expressed excitement, while the other 20% were people talking about how irrelevant this match is and how washed up both Tiger and Phil are.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "FORE Questions: Breaking Down the New PGA Tour Schedule," 12 July 2018
There are plenty of other things that two presidents should be talking about.

— The Economist, "What Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ought to talk about in Helsinki," 12 July 2018
As the result of a search warrant, investigators found Facebook messages between Ball — under an alias — and one of the witnesses in which Ball talks about blaming himself for the shooting.

— holly v. hays, Indianapolis Star, "Authorities charge 2 more men in death of Boone County Deputy Jacob Pickett," 11 July 2018
The next day, Spectrum SportsNet aired an interview with Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka in which the two of them talked about what went into signing the superstar.

— alysha tsuji, For The Win, "Lakers GM found out LeBron was coming to LA from a 'congrats' text with balloons," 10 July 2018
Five-star Class of 2019 prospect Matthew Hurt talks about recruiting and discusses his interest in Kentucky and Louisville.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "He has local ties, but U of L faces tough competition for Matthew Hurt," 14 July 2018
Like Colin, Lily still has a hard time talking about her father’s death.

— amelia nierenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "‘It feels nice to be with other people who have been through it:’ At Camp Kangaroo, grieving kids come together to talk, reflect, and play," 14 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'talk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of talk

Middle English; akin to Old English talu tale

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

talk Synonyms

Synonyms

articulate, bring out, enunciate, pass, say, speak, state, tell, utter, verbalize, vocalize;

Near Antonyms

stifle, suppress;

blabber, blurt, get off, shoot;

advertise, announce, blaze, broadcast, declare, post, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish;

affirm, allege, assert, aver, avouch, avow;

breathe, chirp, drawl, gasp, lip, mouth, murmur, purr, shout, spout, whisper;

clothe, couch, formulate, phrase, word;

comment, pipe up (with), remark;

Phrases

put into words;

talk

noun

Definition of talk

1 : the act or an instance of talking : speech

2 : a way of speaking : language

3 : pointless or fruitless discussion : verbiage

4 : a formal discussion, negotiation, or exchange of views —often used in plural

5 a : mention, report

b : rumor, gossip

6 : the topic of interested comment, conversation, or gossip

it's the talk of the town

7 a : address, lecture

b : written analysis or discussion presented in an informal or conversational manner

8 : communicative sounds or signs resembling or functioning as talk

bird talk

See talk defined for English-language learners

Examples of talk in a Sentence

the noted author's talk on the state of the modern novel
what good will all this talk do when we need to take action now?

Recent Examples of talk from the Web

Much of the talk was about whether finishing first or second in Group G would open up easier games.

— james ellingworth, chicagotribune.com, "England, Belgium face off again, this time with 3rd place at stake," 13 July 2018
And Martin later clarified the talks are about the final two episodes of the current 12-episode order for season 3.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, ""Shadowhunters" Producer Says "Ongoing Discussions" About the Show's Future Are Happening With Freeform and Netflix," 12 July 2018
Among civil-rights activists today, talk of black self-destructive behavior is unpopular and minimal.

— jason l. riley, WSJ, "Let’s Talk About the Black Abortion Rate," 10 July 2018
For many in India, such talk is sure to provoke sharp debate.

— joanna slater, Washington Post, "India is no longer home to the largest number of poor people in the world. Nigeria is.," 10 July 2018
But talks in Brussels were notoriously slow, mostly because May's government could not - and still cannot - agree on what kind of future relationship Britain wants with Europe on trade, immigration, law, tariffs and border checks and security.

— author: william booth, karla adam, Anchorage Daily News, "Theresa May's government in disarray after shock resignation by Brexit minister," 9 July 2018
And there are occasions when radio talk is practically useless, as in this driver-crew chief back-and-forth from a few years back.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "How radio communication provided a winning tool and changed the course of NASCAR racing," 9 July 2018
This is also why the cold-war framing of the summit, thanks to the choice of venue and grim talk by both administrations of a new low in relations, is off-beam.

— The Economist, "The Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki," 5 July 2018
The talks were on hold during the Mexican presidential campaign.

— william l. spence, idahostatesman, "U.S. trading partners are raising tariffs. That won't hurt Idaho farmers, Perdue vows," 4 July 2018

First Known Use of talk

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

talk Synonyms

Synonyms

argument, argumentation, back-and-forth, colloquy, confab, confabulation, conference, consult, consultation, council, counsel, debate, deliberation, dialogue (also dialog), discussion, give-and-take, palaver, parley;

chat, conversation, rap, words;

discourse, disquisition;

bargaining, consultancy, negotiation, pourparler;

TALK Defined for English Language Learners

talk

verb

Definition of talk for English Language Learners

: to say words in order to express your thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc., to someone
: to have a conversation or discussion with someone
: to have a conversation about (something)

talk

noun

Definition of talk for English Language Learners

: an occurrence in which one person talks about something with another person : a conversation or discussion
: the act of talking formally about something before a group of people : a speech or lecture
: a formal discussion between two or more groups that are trying to reach an agreement about something

TALK Defined for Kids

talk

verb \ ˈtȯk \

Definition of talk for Students

talked; talking

1 : to express in speech : speak

You're talking too fast.

2 : to speak about : discuss

They're talking business.

3 : to cause or influence with words

I talked them into agreeing.

4 : to use a certain language

They were talking Spanish.

5 : to exchange ideas by means of spoken words : converse

Let's sit and talk.

6 : to pass on information other than by speaking

Can you talk with your hands?

7 : ²gossip

If you act that way, people will talk.

8 : to reveal secret information

Officials forced the spy to talk.

—

talker

noun

— talk over

: discuss 2

We need to talk over our vacation plans.

talk

noun

Definition of talk for Students

1 : the act or an instance of speaking with someone

We had a talk.

2 : a way of speaking : language

3 : conference

4 : ¹rumor

Has there been talk of war?

5 : the topic of comment or gossip

The President's visit is the talk of the town.

6 : an informal address

The coach gave us a talk to raise our spirits.

Learn More about talk

See words that rhyme with talk Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for talk Spanish Central: Translation of talk Nglish: Translation of talk for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of talk for Arabic speakers

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talk

Definition of talk

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Examples of talk in a Sentence

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Synonyms

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talk

Definition of talk

Examples of talk in a Sentence

Recent Examples of talk from the Web

First Known Use of talk

talk Synonyms

Synonyms

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TALK Defined for English Language Learners

talk

Definition of talk for English Language Learners

talk

Definition of talk for English Language Learners

TALK Defined for Kids

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Definition of talk for Students

talker

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Definition of talk for Students

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