talk

verb

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\ ˈtȯk

talked; talking; talks

Definition of talk

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : 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

3a : 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

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

talk

noun

Definition of talk (Entry 2 of 2)

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

5a : mention, report

b : rumor, gossip

6 : the topic of interested comment, conversation, or gossip it's the talk of the town

7a : 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

Other Words from talk Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About talk

Examples of talk in a Sentence

Verb 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. Noun 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 on the Web: Verb For as much as Agnes and all her chums talk about the gauche disreputability of the Russells, the show struggles to dramatize this in any meaningful way. — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2022 For sequences in which the two men talk to each other, the actor worked with a stand-in to rehearse every little glance and breath, performing each scene several times as Cameron and then again as Jack. — Devan Coggan, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2022 Maybe the two of you can list factors important to you and talk them over. — Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2022 The safety kit also points to apps like Snapchat, Discord and TikTok as places where kids talk to strangers online or can be exposed to explicit content. — Cristóbal Reyes, orlandosentinel.com, 18 Jan. 2022 Covid-19 primarily spreads through the air, hitching a ride on tiny water droplets expelled when people talk or cough. — Wenxin Fan, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2022 The survey was run by Blind, an app that lets employees talk about their companies anonymously and verifies where people work through their company email accounts. — Chase Difeliciantonio, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Jan. 2022 She gets tortured by having to read and talk it all out. — Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Jan. 2022 Thank you, Jimmy, for taking the time to talk and reflect on such a wonderful person. — Katherine Tinsley, Good Housekeeping, 14 Jan. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Anderson was a familiar face through much of the 1980s and '90s, recognizable for his good-natured stand-up performances and frequent appearances on late-night talk shows. — NBC News, 21 Jan. 2022 Others host talk shows and take calls from other McMurdo staffers just as any other radio station stateside would. — Lukas Harnisch, SPIN, 20 Jan. 2022 Plaza is also known for her performances in shows like Legion and movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, not to mention her recent appearances on various talk shows dressed like a witch. — Brendan Morrow, The Week, 10 Jan. 2022 The host of various game shows, talk shows and beauty pageants is judge and jury in this new unscripted courtroom comedy. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2022 Throughout the 1960s, White was a staple on talk shows like Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show as well as on game shows like Password, where White met her husband, host Allen Ludden. — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2021 While White’s myriad roles included TV commentator, soap-opera star, and a regular host and guest on various game shows and talk shows, she was best known for her work in comedy. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2021 The enshrinement of testimony in all its guises—in memoirs, confessional poetry, survivor narratives, talk shows—elevated trauma from a sign of moral defect to a source of moral authority, even a kind of expertise. — Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2021 Instead, there were acid trips, New Age curiosities and talk of spending a year in the Sierra Mountains. — Jamie Lauren Keiles Ismail Muhammad Kim Tingley Benoit Denizet-lewis Sam Anderson Jazmine Hughes Irina Aleksander Sasha Weiss Rowan Ricardo Phillips Stella Bugbee Michael Paterniti Maggie Jones Robert Draper Rob Hoerburger Jason Zengerle Reginald Dwayne Betts Jane Hu David Marchese Hanif Abdurraqib Jenna Wortham Anthony Giardina Niela Orr Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2021

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.