SPEAK UP Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

speak up

verb

Definition of speak up

as in to speak out

to voice one's opinions freely with force she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of speak up That includes singing their own praises on social media, posting updates on Slack or Teams, speaking up in meetings, and vocalizing their wins to anyone who will listen. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026 That only works if speaking up doesn’t feel risky, and that’s on us as leaders. — Sonya Thadhani Mughal, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026 Tinashe has been one to use her platform to speak up throughout her career. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026 Once surgery starts, the line is followed, so this is the moment to speak up. — Kaitlyn Gomez, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for speak up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speak up

Verb

Javits, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, was remembered fondly Monday when his fellow students staged a walkout and spoke out about bullying and gun violence.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Jan Barry, a co-founder of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, has made the point that there are now established pathways for antiwar veterans to speak out and that no similar tradition exists for dissenters within law enforcement.

— Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of speak out

Verb

Following Masias’ detainment, immigration agents who milled about the parking were nonresponsive to the protesters, who shouted at them through the locked fence surrounding the Moss building as Sacramento Fire Department personnel treated Masias.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2026
Footage shot by Gasca's cousin, Michelle Rivera, shows protesters shouting and officers pinning down someone.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of shout

Verb

Those supported by anti-CTU groups, meanwhile, talked up fiscal restraint and independence from City Hall and Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former organizer with the union.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Gulf officials at a summit in Bahrain talked up the need for diplomacy to solve the region’s security crisis, yet a sense of helplessness hung over the atmosphere.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of talk up

Verb

Ida Mae Cullen, the peppery widow of poet Countee Cullen, pipes up to remind the group, vigorously, that the Harlem Renaissance really lasted for just one decade, the 1920s, though its ripples began years before and resonated for decades after.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
But remarks made last week by Bruce Brown, an eight-year NBA veteran fighting for a roster spot with the New York Knicks, garnered enough attention online that the league piped up.

— Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of pipe up

Verb

The impending expansion of the college football playoff has led to fans sounding off on the decision to move from 12 to 24 teams after only three years after adding eight teams to the current format.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Robert Pattinson is sounding off about Steven Soderbergh stepping up to help finish filming The Batman Part II.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026