Talk
/tɔːk/
Definitions
3 meaningsTo communicate or express oneself in spoken words; to converse.
/tɔːk/
To speak in order to communicate ideas.
She talks to her dog every morning.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're telling a story to your best friend. That's 'talk'! It's when you use your words to share ideas, feelings, or news.
👶 For kids: To say words so that other people can hear you.
More Examples
Can we talk about the project deadline?
He talks too much in class.
How It's Used
"We need to talk about this."
"The CEO will talk to the shareholders next week."
Conversation or discussion; the act of speaking.
/tɔːk/
The act of speaking.
The talk was very interesting.
💡 Simply: When you 'talk,' it's the actual words you use to communicate. Like when you're having a chat with a friend, that whole exchange is 'talk'.
👶 For kids: When you use words to say something.
More Examples
We need to have a serious talk.
I love to listen to their talk.
How It's Used
"Let's have a talk about our plans."
"The talk was informative."
A lecture or speech.
/tɔːk/
The motivational talk inspired many people.
💡 Simply: Similar to a presentation or lecture.
👶 For kids: Like a special show where someone tells you about something.
More Examples
The professor delivered a talk on quantum physics.
I attended a tech talk last week.
How It's Used
"He gave a talk at the university."
"There were several talks on the first day."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
talk back
To respond rudely or disrespectfully.
"The child was scolded for talking back to his parents."
talk someone out of something
To persuade someone not to do something.
"I talked her out of quitting her job."
small talk
Light, casual conversation about unimportant matters.
"They made some small talk about the weather before getting down to business."
talk the talk
To speak confidently about something, especially without necessarily acting upon it.
"He can talk the talk about saving the environment, but he doesn't actually recycle."
talk shop
To discuss one's work or profession.
"The colleagues spent the entire lunch break talking shop."
From Middle English talken, from Old English *tacian (hypothetical), related to tac (sign, token). Cognate with Dutch takelen (to tackle, handle).
The word 'talk' has been used for centuries, evolving from a simple verb to a noun and also forming idiomatic expressions.
Memory tip
Think of the sound your voice makes when you want to say something
Word Origin
"To communicate"