as in shouted
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 spoke up
Tatum spoke up in a team meeting on Thursday, sharing a message of gratitude and appreciation that resonated with head coach Joe Mazzulla.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Fans spoke up—and KFC listened.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
Not long after, the boy who had participated in teasing his classmates spoke up and asked for accountability, Shenker said.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 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
It was built by workers who spoke up.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Resident Joy Triglia, a real estate agent who lives on the barrier island, also spoke up for the trees.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Lemon has been unable to comment on his own arrest, but his former employer spoke up for him.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026
Most striking, however, was the reaction from Hollywood, as several major stars spoke up in Dano’s defense.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Fans spoke up—and KFC listened.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
Not long after, the boy who had participated in teasing his classmates spoke up and asked for accountability, Shenker said.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 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
It was built by workers who spoke up.
—Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Resident Joy Triglia, a real estate agent who lives on the barrier island, also spoke up for the trees.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Lemon has been unable to comment on his own arrest, but his former employer spoke up for him.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Jan. 2026
Most striking, however, was the reaction from Hollywood, as several major stars spoke up in Dano’s defense.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke up
Verb
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By now, the standard sound of rage rap — redlining drums deployed with abandon, frenetic, almost spastic chord arrangements, and often shouted, mantra-like lyrics delivered in an impassioned scream — has become a predictable shorthand for overtures to a younger audience.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2026
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Before and after the vote, people in the hearing room shouted at lawmakers and warned of the harm the bill could do.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The ex-cohost — who publicly slammed the talk show and longtime panelist Joy Behar in early 2025 — spoke out online against problematic college fraternity practices, amid recent headlines covering notable alleged hazing instances on campuses around the country.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
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North College Hill Council Member Kathy Cureton spoke out about the incident.—
Allie Hennard,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Chan and Acosta beat Tay for more than seven minutes while Tay cried and begged for help and then forced Tay to drink rubbing alcohol and sealed his mouth with duct tape, authorities have said.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
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Her family cried nonstop and eventually decided to leave for the north near the Caspian Sea.—
Amin Khodadadi,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Device makers have talked up a world where users may be able to ask their AI agents to call a cab or book a hotel.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Peterson had talked up head coach Bill Self’s KU program.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cooper’s big brother yelled excitedly when first responders arrived at the Vetta Sports Soccerdome in Webster Groves.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
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At one point, Sumrall yelled at Florida’s punters.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The water is piped up to the data center for liquid cooling of the servers.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Mar. 2026
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When the crowd got a chance to ask questions, a rancher piped up.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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And months after its debut in October, Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck sounded off about the potential of him returning to his role of Frank Reagan.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoke%20up. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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