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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Recent Examples of spoke up
As the album circulated, country elders spoke up regarding even bigger Q hits, and a fuller picture of his catalog emerged.
—
Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 1 June 2026
But not one of them spoke up during the meeting so the meeting moved forward.
—Terina Allen, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Jack Osbourne spoke up in defense of the AI avatar of Ozzy Osbourne that was announced last week.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2026
The Fever were in the midst of putting together a win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday when Scott spoke up after LaChina Robinson mentioned in the fourth quarter that Clark was responsible for 38 of the Fever’s points with under 10 minutes to play.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
And then Morton spoke up, and told them no more crying.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
One of the people who spoke up was Leonard Wheeler, a former Carolina Panther who now works for the NFL.
—Alex Zietlow, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2026
One of the people who spoke up was Leonard Wheeler, a former Carolina Panther who now works for the NFL.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
In March, Grohl spoke up about the aftermath of his announcement in an interview with The Guardian.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 1 June 2026
But not one of them spoke up during the meeting so the meeting moved forward.
—Terina Allen, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Jack Osbourne spoke up in defense of the AI avatar of Ozzy Osbourne that was announced last week.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2026
The Fever were in the midst of putting together a win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday when Scott spoke up after LaChina Robinson mentioned in the fourth quarter that Clark was responsible for 38 of the Fever’s points with under 10 minutes to play.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
And then Morton spoke up, and told them no more crying.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
One of the people who spoke up was Leonard Wheeler, a former Carolina Panther who now works for the NFL.
—Alex Zietlow, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2026
One of the people who spoke up was Leonard Wheeler, a former Carolina Panther who now works for the NFL.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
In March, Grohl spoke up about the aftermath of his announcement in an interview with The Guardian.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke up
Verb
-
Appearing on the late-night show ahead of their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year, the Staten Island group donned Knicks gear and repeatedly shouted out to New York City during their performance.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
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Goldberg shouted after Navarro attempted to continue a question before a commercial break.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Residents overwhelming spoke out against the split plan during board meetings in January and February.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Dec. 2025
-
All the games were held in the United States this past summer, and multiple players spoke out about the brutal conditions.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Freeman visibly cried as the victim’s father, along with the slain youth’s longtime girlfriend and younger brother, gave statements, too, the mother said.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
-
As in previous elections, the first ballots counted in many areas of the state tended to favor Republicans, and when candidates including Spencer Pratt, the former reality-TV star running for mayor in Los Angeles, fell short in subsequent tallies, their supporters cried foul.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The Lamar Hunt sales pitch talked up the world’s game, its popularity and the favorable American demographics for growth.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
Kemp is reported to have talked up the company, called Centegix, during events like a visit to a Douglas County school in 2019, where Daniel Dooley was present.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The wife yelled at the three children inside the home to hide themselves in the only bedroom with a lock, retreated to a nearby bathroom and locked herself inside, police wrote in the affidavit.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
4 Dec. 2025
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People in nearby cells yelled to deputies that Talib needed help.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
When the crowd got a chance to ask questions, a rancher piped up.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
24 Nov. 2025
-
Elena piped up, appearing in the doorway.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
In the comments, old friends and classmates sounded off.—
Veronica Fulton,
NBC news,
7 Dec. 2025
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After that Suns’ loss, LaVine sounded off when asked about the moment between him and Carter following the loss.—
Marcus Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spoke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoke%20up. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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