\ 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
4 : to give a talk : lecture
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 talk sense talk through one's hat talk turkey
: to answer impertinently
: to voice rational, logical, or sensible thoughts
: to voice irrational, illogical, or erroneous ideas
: to speak frankly or bluntly
talk
nounDefinition of talk (Entry 2 of 2)
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
6 : the topic of interested comment, conversation, or gossip
it's the talk of the town
b : written analysis or discussion presented in an informal or conversational manner
8 : communicative sounds or signs resembling or functioning as talk
bird 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?
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb After the home was closed to visitors, Hartfiel and her family tried to talk to Gladys over the phone, but her dementia affected her speech.
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jsonline.com, "Meet just a fraction of the people Wisconsin lost to COVID in a single week -- dancers, woodworkers, fathers and sisters," 27 Nov. 2020 Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones joined the Shan and RJ Show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] recently to talk about his team.
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Dallas News, "Jerry Jones compares Cowboys’ Zack Martin to Larry Allen, CeeDee Lamb’s explosiveness to Deion Sanders," 25 Nov. 2020 To Kaur, the letter had been a necessary introduction — not just for her own family, but for all the young people of Punjabi descent who cared about how police violence affects Black Americans but didn’t know how to talk to their parents about it.
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NBC News, "George Floyd's killing turned them into activists. What are they doing now?," 25 Nov. 2020 Listen to them talk about that as well as Ohio State-Indiana on the Thursday night podcast.
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Tim Bielik, cleveland, "No. 3 Ohio State welcomes No. 9 Indiana in a battle of undefeated top-10 teams: Buckeye Breakfast Gameday," 21 Nov. 2020 The governor’s office says Stevens first met with the woman to talk about Clarkson on June 7.
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Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, "Junior Staffer Says Top Alaska Official Told Her to Keep Allegations of Misconduct Secret," 18 Nov. 2020 The governor’s office says Stevens first met with the woman to talk about Clarkson on June 7.
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Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, "Woman says top Dunleavy official knew of attorney general’s misconduct, was slow to act," 18 Nov. 2020 The Minnesota Streetcar Museum will also let kids schedule time online to talk with Santa on Zoom from his home at the North Pole.
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Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune, "At stores and malls this year, it's Zoom Santa and wish lists shared through glass," 17 Nov. 2020 South Carolina’s Mikayla Robinson will have plenty to talk about this weekend on her drive back to Illinois.
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Paul Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "A happy ride home: Harvest Christian graduate Mikayla Robinson returns to Chicago celebrating upset win for South Carolina," 13 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Season 1 includes 13 episodes, as well as talk of coyotes and avocados.
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Dan Snierson, EW.com, "See first photos of Ted Danson and Holly Hunter in NBC comedy Mr. Mayor," 20 Nov. 2020 Artist talk and opening reception noon Friday, Nov. 20.
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oregonlive, "5 things to do this week: Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and Do-it-yourself Turkey Trot," 18 Nov. 2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends widespread use of cloth masks to reduce the emission of droplets that spread when people cough, sneeze, sing, talk or breathe.
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Ryan J. Foley, chicagotribune.com, "Iowa governor orders residents to wear masks, then says, ‘There’s science on both sides ... you can find whatever you want to support wherever you are at’," 17 Nov. 2020 Though the figures indicate there is still a way to go in achieving onstage equity, some observers say there still are signs that theaters are more talk than action.
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Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "‘I might lose my mind’: Do theater stages accurately represent Central Florida’s diversity?," 16 Nov. 2020 Patricia Carmody of Castle Rock, Colo., who runs an organization called At the Table Colorado , says the ground rules of her gatherings, aimed at strengthening local communities, bar talk of politics or religion.
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Los Angeles Times, "The election’s over. It’s time to unclench our fists and open our ears," 14 Nov. 2020 From President Eisenhower to Speaker Paul Ryan, Republicans favored balancing the budget, even if some were more talk than action.
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William A. Galston, WSJ, "Trump Remade His Party and the World," 13 Nov. 2020 After lots of preseason hype and talk of Tennessee as an SEC East darkhorse, the Volunteers will likely finish this season 3-7.
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John Talty | Jtalty@al.com, al, "Is Georgia’s title window closing? Sam Pittman is SEC’s top coach," 8 Nov. 2020 There is praise for the armed struggle against Portuguese colonists in Mozambique and talk of reparations for slavery.
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J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, "Fall Films to Stream," 5 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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Learn More about talk
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
You Talk Too Much: 8 Words for the Wordy
You Talk Too Much: 8 Words for the Wordy
You can't shut them up, but you can label them
Dictionary Entries near talk
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for talk
Last Updated
29 Nov 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk. Accessed 4 Dec. 2020.
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More Definitions for talk
talk
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of talk
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of talk (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for talk in the English Language Learners Dictionary
talk
verb\ ˈtȯk \
\talked; talking
Kids Definition of talk
(Entry 1 of 2)
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 : gossip entry 2 If you act that way, people will talk.
8 : to reveal secret information
Officials forced the spy to talk.
talk over
: discuss sense 2 We need to talk over our vacation plans.
talk
nounKids Definition of talk (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : the act or an instance of speaking with someone
We had a talk.
2 : a way of speaking : language
3 : conference
4 : rumor entry 1 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.
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Comments on talk
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Time Traveler for talk
The first known use of talk was in the 13th century
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