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
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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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My civic involvement is grounded in direct community engagement—showing up, volunteering, and speaking out—to ensure that citizens’ voices are heard and respected at every level of government.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Our representatives need to speak out more forcefully to ensure that the people’s needs are heard and acted upon.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Vincent Hawkins was shouting at officers when one of them shot a tear gas canister at him.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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In November, LaVine had an altercation with a Kings season ticket holder who shouted angrily at him during a timeout, criticizing his effort and defense in a viral video moment.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Family members of the shooting victims cried as the sentence was handed down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Néfissa cries loudly and with anguish about her son, but refuses to acknowledge his truth.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, Aaron Boone talked up Winquest’s big arm after the 25-year-old threw a bullpen.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Taneja also talked up the investment in xAI, noting that Grok, the chatbot made by xAI, was already in use across Tesla’s fleet.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dash camera video from Newton’s police cruiser doesn’t capture the shooting, but Newton can be heard yelling commands for Sanders to stop and show his hands.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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Here is Kyle yelling so hard at Dorit that her veins are straining against her Botox.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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 20 Feb. 2026.
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