Definition of talk

Email this page to a friend

< talismanic

talkathon >

talk    (tôk) KEY 

VERB:
talked, talk·ing, talks
VERB:
tr.

1. To articulate (words): The baby is talking sentences now.
2. To give expression to in words: talk treason.
3. To speak of or discuss (something): talk music; talk business;
4. To speak or know how to speak in (an idiom or language): talked French with the flight crew.
5. To gain, influence, or bring into a specified state by talking: talked me into coming; talked their way out of trouble.
6. To spend (a period of time) by or as if by talking: talked the evening away.

VERB:
intr.

1. To converse by means of spoken language: We talked for hours. See Synonyms at speak.
2. To articulate words: The baby can talk.
3. To imitate the sounds of human speech: The parrot talks.
4. To express one's thoughts or emotions by means of spoken language: talked about the pros and cons of the issue.
5. To convey one's thoughts in a way other than by spoken words: talk with one's hands.
6. To express one's thoughts in writing: Voltaire talks about London in this book.
7. To parley or negotiate with someone: Let's talk before continuing to fight.
8. To spread rumors; gossip: If you do that, people will talk.
9. To allude to something: Are you talking about last week?
10. To consult or confer with someone: I talked with the doctor.
11. To reveal information concerning oneself or others, especially under pressure: Has the prisoner talked?
12. Informal To be efficacious: Money talks.

NOUN:

1. An exchange of ideas or opinions; a conversation.
2. A speech or lecture.
3. Hearsay, rumor, or speculation: There is talk of bankruptcy.
4. A subject of conversation: a musical that is the talk of the town.
5. A conference or negotiation. Often used in the plural: peace talks.
6. Jargon; slang: prison talk.
7. Empty speech or unnecessary discussion: much talk and no action.
8. A particular manner of speech: baby talk; honeyed talk.
9. Something, such as the sounds of animals, felt to resemble human talk: whale talk.

PHRASAL VERBS:
talk around

1. To persuade: I talked them around to my point of view.
2. To speak indirectly about: talked around the subject but never got to the point.

talk at

To address orally with no regard for or interest in a reaction or response.

talk back

1. To make an impertinent or insolent reply.
2. To make a belligerent response: heavy guns talking back.

talk down

1. To depreciate: talked down the importance of the move.
2. To speak with insulting condescension: talked down to her subordinates.
3. To silence (a person), especially by speaking in a loud and domineering manner.
4. To direct and control (the flight of an aircraft during an approach for landing) by radioed instructions either from the ground or a nearby aircraft.

talk out

1. To discuss (a matter) exhaustively: I talked out the problem with a therapist.
2. To resolve or settle by discussion.
3. Chiefly British To block (proposed legislation) by filibustering.

talk over

1. To consider thoroughly in conversation; discuss: talked the matter over.
2. To win (someone) over by persuasion: talked them over to our side.

talk up

1. To speak in favor of; promote: talked the candidate up; talked up the new product.
2. To speak up in a frank, often insolent manner.

IDIOMS:
talk big Informal

To brag.

talk sense

To speak rationally and coherently.

---

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English talken; see del-² in Indo-European roots