Word
speaking
Phoneticsspeak·ing
US/ˈspikɪŋ/
UK/spˈiːkɪŋ/
Definitions
01the act of talking
n. the act of saying words out loud to communicate.
n. the action of conveying information or expressing thoughts through articulate vocal sounds.
“Public speaking makes many people feel nervous before they start.”
“The conference focused on the art of public speaking, offering workshops on how to maintain audience engagement during technical presentations.”
02language skill
n. your ability to talk in a specific language.
n. the productive language skill of oral communication, often assessed alongside listening, reading, and writing.
“Her speaking is much better than her writing in English.”
“The exam evaluates four core competencies, with the speaking component requiring candidates to engage in a spontaneous dialogue with the examiner.”
Synonyms
04expressive or eloquent
adj. showing a lot of feeling or meaning without needing many words.
adj. highly expressive or eloquent; conveying significant meaning through appearance or tone.
“She gave him a speaking look that told him to be quiet.”
“The portrait was famous for the subject's speaking eyes, which seemed to follow the viewer across the gallery with a haunting intensity.”
Literary
Synonyms
Antonyms
05on the telephone
interj. what you say on the phone to show you are the person being asked for.
interj. a formulaic response used in telephonic or remote communication to confirm that the speaker is the individual requested.
“Hello, is Mr. Smith there? Speaking.”
“When the receptionist asked to speak with the head of department, she simply replied, 'Speaking,' and waited for the caller to proceed.”
Formal
Usage
Used as a standalone response when someone asks 'Is [Your Name] there?' or 'May I speak to [Your Name]?'
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English spekinge, spekynge, spekinde, spekende, spekande, spekand, from Old English specende, sprecende (“speaking”), from Proto-Germanic sprekandz (“speaking”), present participle of Proto-Germanic sprekaną (“to speak”). Equivalent to speak + -ing. Cognate with Scots speikand, speikin (“speaking”), Saterland Frisian spreekend (“speaking”), West Frisian sprekkend (“speaking”), Dutch sprekend (“speaking”), German Low German sprekend (“speaking”), German sprechend (“speaking”).
From Middle English speking, spekynge, equivalent to speak + -ing.
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Idioms
give someone a speaking to — To scold a person.