as in speaks out
to voice one's opinions freely with force
she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings
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Recent Examples of speaks up
It may be stopped because one student speaks up, one parent pays attention, one friend refuses to stay silent, one faith leader reaches out, or one community decides that preventing hate is everyone’s responsibility.
—
Michael Brunker, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Other employees watch what happens when someone speaks up.
—Briana Mascaro, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
The people around Trump support these equivocations because anyone who opposes Trump’s ideas in the White House will be shown the door; any Republican who speaks up in Congress will be primaried out of their seat.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Exceptional human being, trustworthy dude, does his homework, speaks up.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Touching the Art also delves into erasure and gaslighting, illustrating the all-too-common silencing that occurs when a family member speaks up about violence or abuse.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Maybe not the most famous biopic but a quite effective one, with Paul Muni as the 19th-century French writer who speaks up for a Jewish captain tagged as a traitor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Jauregui has been vocal about the liberation of Palestinians and frequently speaks up about human rights issues on her platform.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Receiver Scotty Miller said that in the meeting room, Metcalf often speaks up to ask questions or give his teammates tips.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Michael Brunker, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Other employees watch what happens when someone speaks up.
—Briana Mascaro, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
The people around Trump support these equivocations because anyone who opposes Trump’s ideas in the White House will be shown the door; any Republican who speaks up in Congress will be primaried out of their seat.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Exceptional human being, trustworthy dude, does his homework, speaks up.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Touching the Art also delves into erasure and gaslighting, illustrating the all-too-common silencing that occurs when a family member speaks up about violence or abuse.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Maybe not the most famous biopic but a quite effective one, with Paul Muni as the 19th-century French writer who speaks up for a Jewish captain tagged as a traitor.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Jauregui has been vocal about the liberation of Palestinians and frequently speaks up about human rights issues on her platform.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Receiver Scotty Miller said that in the meeting room, Metcalf often speaks up to ask questions or give his teammates tips.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speaks up
Verb
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Jessica Mann speaks out on Harvey Weinstein mistrial Mann reacted to the outcome in a statement obtained by USA TODAY.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Now, Hayes speaks out on safety issues, sharing his story of recovery.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Patchett shouts out fellow authors in the novel, including George Saunders, Paul Murray and Kiran Desai.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
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As promised, Ali shoots him, and as everyone panics and hits the floor, Ali shouts that Alamo Brown needs to come out.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Alibaba talks up chips Alibaba has positioned itself as one of China’s leading players, developing chips for AI and selling its services via its cloud computing unit.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
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With something like military zeal, the former soldier who once itched to be on the front lines now talks up saving the world’s dwindling varieties of tomato seeds, as well as books about social inequality.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jennifer Brook cries her own tears for her husband.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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By the beginning of the second episode, Margo has dropped out of school and is the totally broke single mother to a colicky baby, Bodhi, who cries so committedly that two of Margo’s roommates move out.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nobody screams or yells; the Marsies just fire back, and M-6 troops continue to fire in response.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
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Knives are clutched, teeth are clenched, and a desperate Russian ex-pat yells loud enough for their long-dead ancestors to hear all the way back in the motherland.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Verb
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After a gobbler sounds off, try to move within 200 yards of his position, (150 yards is better), and then choose your position.—
Bruce Brady,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
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Here Merry sounds off on all these topics and more.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Teddy’s babyish voice pipes up from the back seat.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speaks up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speaks%20up. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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