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
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
Colleagues remembered Mayra as a dedicated educator and active member of the teachers union who spoke up to support the needs of her students and fellow staff members.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
After a while, a man whose son was shot to death in July spoke up.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 Dec. 2025
Frustrated, the guests spoke up for a second instance.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
A number of other political figures from Kentucky spoke up on social media after Dale's death, announced by Barr’s campaign on Christmas.
—Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Dec. 2025
El-Amin spoke up on civil rights and social issues in an effort to fight for justice.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
And yet if a player spoke up about it—or made a joke on social media—they’d be slapped with a fine from the league.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
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
Colleagues remembered Mayra as a dedicated educator and active member of the teachers union who spoke up to support the needs of her students and fellow staff members.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
After a while, a man whose son was shot to death in July spoke up.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 Dec. 2025
Frustrated, the guests spoke up for a second instance.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
A number of other political figures from Kentucky spoke up on social media after Dale's death, announced by Barr’s campaign on Christmas.
—Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Dec. 2025
El-Amin spoke up on civil rights and social issues in an effort to fight for justice.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
And yet if a player spoke up about it—or made a joke on social media—they’d be slapped with a fine from the league.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke up
Verb
-
At the time, Border Patrol agents were conducting enforcement operations in the area when civilians blew whistles and shouted, forcing authorities to tell the crowd to stay on the sidewalk in order to steer clear of law enforcement activity.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Lawmakers opposed to the move tore up agenda papers, shouted slogans and blew whistles, bringing proceedings to a halt.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The net grew wider as the politicized Justice Department targeted city and state public officials who spoke out.—
Kica Matos,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
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That echoes the account of another parent, Quasheema Frye, who previously spoke out to PEOPLE after a substitute in the school district raised concerns on social media.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Victims and their supporters cried and hugged in the hallway while wearing yellow ribbons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Through much of his playing career in Washington with the Wizards, Wall cried openly at public moments of joy and sorrow.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
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Last quarter, Tesla shares slumped after Musk talked up the company’s Optimus and Robotaxi efforts but failed to confront questions about the fundamentals of the auto segment.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Woolen yelled at his teammates on the sideline after the Rams touchdown and was the focus of immense criticism on social media.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Agents detained one observer as others blew whistles, yelled at them, and recorded video on their phones.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When the crowd got a chance to ask questions, a rancher piped up.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
24 Nov. 2025
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Republican Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz piped up in defense of Kimmel’s right to free speech without governmental interference.—
Sarah Stankorb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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Both intruders allegedly fled when the man was able to activate the home’s panic system, which sounded off an audible alarm, police said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoke%20up. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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