as in to speak out
to voice one's opinions freely with force
she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of speak up
There should be more walkouts like this across our communities as well as more opportunities where students are encouraged to speak up for what is right and stand up for their neighbors.
—
Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
What followed was not chaos, but something more deliberate—a narrowing of what could be said publicly, to punish those who spoke up, and to quietly erase stories that needed to be told.
—Adrianne Wright, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
And given all the ambient discouragement against speaking up about this particular cause, solidarity isn’t just a buzzword.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
It was built by workers who spoke up.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speak up
Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
What followed was not chaos, but something more deliberate—a narrowing of what could be said publicly, to punish those who spoke up, and to quietly erase stories that needed to be told.
—Adrianne Wright, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
And given all the ambient discouragement against speaking up about this particular cause, solidarity isn’t just a buzzword.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
It was built by workers who spoke up.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speak up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speak up
Verb
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Sarandos has been speaking out forcefully even as the board of WBD went back into negotiations with Paramount Skydance this week.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
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The incident will test the limits of their friendship as the two are caught between silence and speaking out.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tilly shouted from the floor of the arena to her father, Ron, in the stands, several feet above, beaming down at history.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
22 Feb. 2026
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The 34-year-old Diggins, racing in her final season, collapsed to the ground, shouting in pain after finishing the freestyle race and adding to her gold, silver and bronze career medal tally.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Its first truly devastating moment comes in its fourth episode, where Asa, overwhelmed by her first few days in high school, breaks down crying on the couch.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
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Remember during cycle 4 when Michelle cried from the pain of an allergic reaction to the peroxide used to bleach her hair (which later prompted an impetigo outbreak)?—
Adrianne Webster,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But in the opening minutes of his first stop at a local restaurant, the president raised debunked claims of voter fraud, talked up his plan to require voters to show identification before casting ballots, and discussed the recent FBI raid of election offices in the state’s most populous county.—
Jeff Amy,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Talarico boosted the dispute with a late-night appearance on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show on MS NOW, talking up the importance of defending free speech.—
Joseph Morton,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After the reporter posed the question, another member of the audience started yelling, prompting confusion from Tatum.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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The video, which includes a trigger warning for harsh language, captures a person yelling at a volunteer to get out of the neighborhood.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Teddy’s babyish voice pipes up from the back seat.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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So, say some small-time businessmen hire a truck through a dispatcher, the truck drives up to a field, and there, along the perimeter, a forklift crane pulls the pipe up from the sand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Times columnists sound off Shaikin suggested how the most iconic Dodger of all time — Pasadena’s Jackie Robinson — would have reacted.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Mayor Mamdani on Friday sounded off against ICE and issued an executive order aimed at putting an exclamation on point on the city’s existing sanctuary policies.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speak up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speak%20up. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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