Talk (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

verb (used without object)

to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking: to talk about poetry.
to consult or confer: Talk with your adviser.
to spread a rumor or tell a confidence; gossip.
to chatter or prate.
to employ speech; perform the act of speaking: to talk very softly; to talk into a microphone.
to deliver a speech, lecture, etc.: The professor talked on the uses of comedy in the tragedies of Shakespeare.
to give or reveal confidential or incriminating information: After a long interrogation, the spy finally talked.
to communicate ideas by means other than speech, as by writing, signs, or signals.
to transmit data, as between computers or between a computer and a terminal.
to make sounds imitative or suggestive of speech.

verb (used with object)

to express in words; utter: to talk sense.
to use (a specified language or idiom) in speaking or conversing: They talk French together for practice.
to discuss: to talk politics.
(used only in progressive tenses) to focus on; signify or mean; talk about: This isn't a question of a few hundred dollars—we're talking serious money.
to bring, put, drive, influence, etc., by talk: to talk a person to sleep; to talk a person into doing something.

noun

the act of talking; speech; conversation, especially of a familiar or informal kind.
an informal speech or lecture.
a conference or negotiating session: peace talks.
report or rumor; gossip: There is a lot of talk going around about her.
a subject or occasion of talking, especially of gossip: Your wild escapades are the talk of the neighborhood.
mere empty speech: That's just a lot of talk.
a way of talking: a halting, lisping talk.
language, dialect, or lingo.
signs or sounds imitative or suggestive of speech, as the noise made by loose parts in a mechanism.

Verb Phrases

to bring (someone) over to one's way of thinking; persuade: She sounded adamant over the phone, but I may still be able to talk her around.
talk at,

to talk to in a manner that indicates that a response is not expected or wanted.
to direct remarks meant for one person to another person present; speak indirectly to.

to spend or consume (time) in talking: We talked away the tedious hours in the hospital.
to reply to a command, request, etc., in a rude or disrespectful manner: Her father never allowed them to talk back.
talk down,

to overwhelm by force of argument or by loud and persistent talking; subdue by talking.
to speak disparagingly of; belittle.
to give instructions to by radio for a ground-controlled landing, especially to a pilot who is unable to make a conventional landing because of snow, fog, etc.

to speak condescendingly to; patronize: Children dislike adults who talk down to them.
to debate as a possibility; discuss: The two companies have been talking of a merger.
talk out,

to talk until conversation is exhausted.
to attempt to reach a settlement or understanding by discussion: We arrived at a compromise by talking out the problem.
to thwart the passage of (a bill, motion, etc.) by prolonging discussion until the session of Parliament adjourns.

to weigh in conversation; consider; discuss.
to cause (someone) to change an opinion; convince by talking: He became an expert at talking people over to his views.

to promote interest in; discuss enthusiastically.
to speak without hesitation; speak distinctly and openly: If you don't talk up now, you may not get another chance.

Idioms

to speak boastingly; brag: He always talked big, but never amounted to anything.
to bore or weary someone by excessive talk; talk incessantly: All I wanted was a chance to read my book, but my seatmate talked my ear off.
talk to death,

verb

to express one's thoughts, feelings, or desires by means of words (to); speak (to)
to communicate or exchange thoughts by other means
to exchange ideas, pleasantries, or opinions (about)
to articulate words; verbalize
to give voice to; utter
to hold a conversation about; discuss
to reveal information
to know how to communicate in (a language or idiom)
to spread rumours or gossip
to make sounds suggestive of talking
to be effective or persuasive
at last you're saying something agreeable
to boast or brag
to speak about one's work, esp when meeting socially, sometimes with the effect of excluding those not similarly employed
to speak convincingly on a particular subject, showing apparent mastery of its jargon and themes; often used in combination with the expression walk the walk
you don't have to worry about doing a particular thing yourself
you yourself are guilty of offending in the very matter you are decrying

noun

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