talk

verb

\ ˈtȯk

talked; talking; talks

Definition of talk

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

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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

After the summit Monday in Helsinki, Trump will talk to Glor at the White House on Wednesday. — Hal Boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trump gives two-part interview to CBS, Jeff Glor," 14 July 2018 Carl Dahlin talks about his family home at Porter Beach, where their private beach is heavily eroded due to high water levels in Lake Michigan. — Tony Briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "What happens when Lake Superior has too much water? It dumps it into an already overflowing Lake Michigan," 13 July 2018 Friends talked them into picking up the sport again last year. — Don Norcross, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego couple puts it all on the line for Over-The-Line," 13 July 2018 Milwaukee could, however, talk with the Bulls about a sign-and-trade prior to an offer sheet getting signed. — Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jabari Parker nearing offer sheet deal with Chicago Bulls," 13 July 2018 And remember - always talk to your doctor before making any significant changes in your daily eating. — Madelyn Fernstrom, NBC News, "Health Matters: Is a "detox diet" good or bad for your health?," 13 July 2018 More than that, though, Pelinka talked about creating a team that could beat the two-time defending-champion Golden State Warriors without trying to mimic them. — Tania Ganguli, latimes.com, "Rob Pelinka says Lakers' work is far from done after landing LeBron James," 12 July 2018 In recent years, Westmoreland said, various El Korah Shrine leaders talked about fixing the occasional crack that would show up in this or that mural. — Maria L. La Ganga, idahostatesman, "What’s behind ’60s-era paneling at El Korah Shrine? A ballroom’s worth of ’20s art.," 12 July 2018 On the latest episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka, the co-founder of Stable Genius Productions talks about funding her ZigZag podcast with digital coins. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Uber’s head of HR resigns after accusations of mishandling racial discrimination," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Mike Pompeo, America’s secretary of state, said that talks with North Korea about surrendering its nuclear weapons had gone well. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 12 July 2018 After laying everything out on the table, talk about what your financial plans and goals are. — W. David Kern, Cincinnati.com, "How and why new couples should talk about finances," 11 July 2018 Serious talk about a Halo TV show started way back in 2013. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Halo TV show going into production in early 2019," 28 June 2018 Those contacts led to talks about creating a festival program around the area’s local traditions. — Max Kutner, Smithsonian, "Some of Barcelona’s Most Acclaimed Musicians Will Rock and Rumba Washington D.C.," 27 June 2018 Scholars transcribed the tapes and studied their contents, and in the epilogue, a male professor gives a talk on them at a university conference several decades into the future. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Week's Grueling Handmaid's Tale Is A One-Woman Show," 27 June 2018 Instead, the goal is to have higher quality talks about the two countries' military relationship, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations on the trip. — Lolita C. Baldor, Anchorage Daily News, "Mattis stops in Alaska on his way to Asia, seeks ‘conversation’ with Chinese," 25 June 2018 While Gundry talks a big talk, there are no human studies linking the dietary lectins with a harmful immune response in healthy people. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "How Kelly Clarkson Lost Nearly 40 Pounds on the Plant Paradox Diet," 25 June 2018 During driver introductions @HailieDeegan talks about how her nerves didn’t stop her from qualifying 3rd in today’s #Carneros200. — Michelle R. Martinelli, For The Win, "NASCAR driver receives her high school diploma at track minutes before race starts," 23 June 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.