Word
talk
US/ˈtɔk/
UK/tˈɔːk/
Definitions
01to speak
v. to say words to someone to share information or feelings.
v. to communicate by means of spoken language. Intransitive, though often followed by 'to' or 'with'.
“We sat in the park and talked for hours about our summer plans.”
“The diplomats talked for several hours behind closed doors, attempting to find common ground before the official summit began.”
Pitfall
I need to talk you about the project.
I need to talk to you about the project.
In most contexts, 'talk' requires the preposition 'to' or 'with' before the person you are speaking to.
Antonyms
02to discuss
v. to discuss a specific topic.
v. to discuss or deliberate upon a particular subject. Transitive in informal registers.
“Let's sit down and talk business over lunch.”
“If we are going to talk strategy, we need to ensure that every department head is present to provide their input.”
Informal
03to confess
v. to give information to the police or an enemy, often about other people.
v. to reveal secret information or confess to a crime, typically under pressure or interrogation.
“The police were sure the suspect would talk once they showed him the evidence.”
“Despite hours of intense questioning by the authorities, the witness refused to talk, fearing retaliation from the gang members.”
Slang
Antonyms
04a conversation
n. a conversation between two or more people, often about something important.
n. an instance of spoken communication; a discussion or dialogue, often of a serious or purposeful nature.
“My boss wants to have a talk with me about my performance.”
“After the incident, the principal had a long talk with the students involved to explain the consequences of their actions.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
05a lecture
n. a short speech or presentation given to a group of people.
n. a formal or semi-formal presentation or lecture on a specific subject.
“The professor gave an interesting talk on the history of the city.”
“The guest speaker delivered a fascinating talk regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on modern architectural design.”
Synonyms
06gossip
n. rumours or stories that people are telling about someone.
n. informal social communication involving rumours, gossip, or speculation. Uncountable in this sense.
“There has been a lot of talk about the company closing down.”
“Despite the official denials, there was persistent talk in the corridors about a major restructuring of the executive board.”
07empty words
n. promises or claims that someone makes but does not actually do.
n. boastful or promising speech that lacks substance or is not backed by action.
“He says he will help us, but I think it is just talk.”
“The politician's promises of reform proved to be mere talk once the election cycle had concluded and the budget was finalised.”
Informal
Antonyms
Confusables
Speak focuses on the physical act of producing words or formal delivery, while talk focuses on the social exchange of a conversation.
RememberSpeak is a monologue; talk is a dialogue.
Etymology
From Middle English talken, talkien, from Old English tealcian (“to talk, chat”), from Proto-West Germanic talkōn, from Proto-Germanic talkōną (“to talk, chatter”), frequentative form of Proto-Germanic talōną (“to count, recount, tell”), from Proto-Indo-European dol-, del- (“to aim, calculate, adjust, count”), equivalent to tell + -k. Cognate with Scots talk (“to talk”), Low German taalken (“to talk”). Related also to Danish tale (“to talk, speak”), Swedish tala (“to talk, speak, say, chatter”), Icelandic tala (“to talk”), Norwegian tale (“speech”), Old English talian (“to count, calculate, reckon, account, consider, think, esteem, value; argue; tell, relate; impute, assign”). More at tale. Despite the surface similarity, unrelated to Proto-Indo-European *telkʷ- (“to talk”) (due to Grimm's law), which is the source of loquacious.
From Middle English talk, talke (“conversation; discourse”), from the verb (see above).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Idioms
all talk and no cider — All talk and no results.
big talk — Statements which are boastful or exaggerated.
coffee talk — Informal conversation among friends or acquaintances, of the kind that occurs in a casual gathering where people sit together and drink coffee.
if these walls could talk — Used to denote a location with an interesting or controversial history.
pillow talk — Conversation shared by bedmates, particularly intimate conversation after sexual intercourse.
rabbit — talk
sex talk — Flirtatious conversation, used as foreplay or for seduction.
small talk — Idle conversation, typically regarding innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.
table talk — Conversation, especially of an informal or somewhat gossipy nature, among a group seated together for a meal or other social activity.
talk a good game — To speak emphatically and at length about one's ability, intentions, or achievements, without yet producing any clear evidence or actual results.
Show all 38
talk a mile a minute — To speak quickly or excessively.
talk about the weather — To chit-chat; to shoot the breeze.
talk back — To reply impertinently or rudely; to answer in a cheeky or rude manner.
talk dirty — To use profane language, especially sexual vulgarities for the purpose of arousal.
talk down — To negotiate a lower price.
talk in circles — To argue a point by repetition of the same theme, sometimes by using different words, but without making any progress.
talk is cheap — It is easy to make boastful or unrealistic statements which are not supported by actions or evidence.
talk jockey — A host of a radio talk show.
talk like an apothecary — To prattle.
talk of the devil — Alternative form of speak of the devil.
talk out of one's ass — To exaggerate, lie, or speak nonsense, often in a way that involves shooting from the hip.
talk out of one's ear — Euphemistic form of talk out of one's ass.
talk out of turn — To make a remark or provide information when it is inappropriate or indiscreet to do so, or when one does not have permission or the authority to do so.
talk over someone's head — To communicate something beyond the level of comprehension of the target.
talk someone under the table — To bore (someone) with excessive talk.
talk someone's ear off — To talk to someone excessively, or far more than is wanted or appreciated.
talk the hind leg off a donkey — To talk a lot.
talk the legs off a pot — To talk a lot.
talk the talk — To make statements that profess commitment, knowledgeability, or intended action (especially when the speaker's actual commitment, knowledge, or further action are in doubt).
talk through one's hat — To speak lacking expertise, authority, or knowledge; to invent or fabricate facts.
talk to — To show the beginnings of a romantic interest in; to flirt with over a period of time in hopes of developing a romantic relationship.
talk to a brick wall — To be completely ignored or disregarded by someone, as if speaking to an inanimate object.
talk to God — To pray
talk to oneself — To say one's thoughts aloud, particularly while also not conversing with anyone else.
talk trash — To untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.
talk turkey — To talk or negotiate plainly, frankly, or seriously.
talk up — To talk about (something or someone) to make it seem as good as possible or to draw positive attention to it.
walk the talk — To perform actions consistent with one's claims.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/talk