SPOKE UP Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

spoke up

verb

past tense of speak up

as in shouted

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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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 spoke up When a major renovation of Northeast High School appeared at risk, residents and local leaders spoke up. — Tim Lonergan, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026 Some people spoke up, while others, such as the man who’d been with Foreman when he was shot, remained silent, Townsend said. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 The final policy is slightly less restrictive than the proposal released in 2025, an important response to patients, physicians, and advocates who spoke up. — Antje M. Barreveld, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 James referenced Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Jackie Robinson as athletes who previously spoke up for equality and change with no concerns about the consequences or any rewards. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 The statement, in which Bryan supposedly spoke up defending his stance from the night before, came from an X account that purports to belong to the singer but does not. — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026 Thank you to everyone who spoke up, showed up, emailed, and voiced your feedback. — Jordan Burrows, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Weeks later, one of her most skeptical peers spoke up in a leadership meeting—not to object, but to explain why the change mattered for his team too. — Andriana Eliadis, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Not long after Cowdray, the Dorchester president, got up to present, Opperman spoke up. — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke up

Verb

Heck, there was even a moment where Brooks shouted out the crew member who was switching out his guitars mid-set.

— Rashad Alexander November 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026
Soon after, a warden shook Guardado and shouted his name, but got no response and a medic then pronounced him dead.

— KIM CHANDLER, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of shouted

Verb

In the same announcement from Vogue, Wintour, who serves as the global chief content officer for Condé Nast and the global editorial director of Vogue, also spoke out.

— Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 5 Nov. 2026
In her Instagram Stories in May, Barbosu spoke out about the alleged violation.

— Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of spoke out

Verb

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
In Sarasota, Donalds talked up Florida, praised DeSantis and criticized Jolly.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of talked up

Verb

When the woman yelled at the driver to stop following her, the man shouted an expletive and threw a glass bottle into her car.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2026
The kid was encouraged to dominate 5U beginner soccer kids by a father who yelled to keep the ball.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of yelled

Verb

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
At this, Shawn, who sat with his father at the end of the jetty, piped up.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of piped up

Verb

Multiple season-ticket holders sounded off on season-ticket deadlines, saying in the past they were required to begin 25% payments in December to receive the perk of 20 free tickets for certain games.

— Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Her video also gained attention on X, where users sounded off in quote-tweets and replies, boosting the tweet to over 9 million views in three days.

— Owen Carry, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026