talk
verb/tɔːk/
/tɔːk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they talk | /tɔːk/ /tɔːk/ |
| he / she / it talks | /tɔːks/ /tɔːks/ |
| past simple talked | /tɔːkt/ /tɔːkt/ |
| past participle talked | /tɔːkt/ /tɔːkt/ |
| -ing form talking | /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to say things; to speak in order to give information or to express ideas or feelings
- Stop talking and listen!
- We talked on the phone for over an hour.
- talk to somebody Who were you talking to just now?
- Ann and Joe aren't talking to each other right now (= they refuse to speak to each other because they have argued).
- talk to yourself Watch the scene where Don talks to himself in the mirror while shaving.
- talk with somebody We looked around the school and talked with the principal.
- talk about somebody/something They talk a lot about the inspiration for their music.
- When they get together, all they talk about is football.
- What are you talking about? (= used when you are surprised, annoyed and/or worried by something that somebody has just said)
- I don't know what you're talking about (= used to say that you did not do something that somebody has accused you of).
- to talk openly/freely/publicly about something
- talk to/with somebody about somebody/something She started talking loudly to her friends about the film they'd just seen.
- talk of doing something Mary is talking of looking for another job.
- talk of something We often talked of the war.
- talk yourself + adj. We talked ourselves hoarse, catching up on all the news.
WordfinderExtra Examples- He was so easy to talk to.
- I think you'd better talk directly to my manager.
- I'll talk to John this afternoon.
- I can't talk about it just now.
- Bruce Springsteen has agreed to talk exclusively to our reporter about his life.
- I loved to hear him talk about the old days.
- She talked quite freely about her work.
- He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.
- He talked excitedly of his plans.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- can
- need to
- …
- about
- of
- to
- …
- start talking
- stop talking
- talk a good game
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [intransitive, transitive] to discuss something, usually something serious or important
- This situation can't go on. We need to talk.
- The two sides in the dispute are finally willing to talk.
- talk to/with somebody Talk with your doctor before radically changing your diet.
- talk about something Is there anything you'd like to talk about?
- talk to/with somebody about something We want to talk to people about this issue.
- talk something to talk politics
Synonyms talktalkdiscuss ▪ speak ▪ communicate ▪ debate ▪ consultThese words all mean to share news, information, ideas or feelings with another person or other people, especially by talking with them.talk to speak in order to give information, express feelings or share ideas:- We talked on the phone for over an hour.
- Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
- I’ve spoken to the manager about it.
- ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a phone conversation)
- We only communicate by email.
- Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
- Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
- You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me.
- to talk/discuss something/speak/communicate/debate/consult with somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody
- to talk/speak to somebody/consult somebody about something
- to talk/speak of something
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- can
- need to
- …
- about
- of
- to
- …
- start talking
- stop talking
- talk a good game
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to say words in a language
- The baby is just starting to talk.
- Alex can't talk yet—he's only just one year old.
- talk in something We couldn't understand them because they were talking in Chinese.
- talk something Are they talking Swedish or Danish?
- [transitive] talk something to say things that are/are not sensible
- She talks a lot of sense.
- (British English) You're talking rubbish!
- See if you can talk some sense into him (= persuade him to be sensible).
- [transitive] be talking something(informal) used to emphasize an amount of money, how serious something is, etc.
- We're talking £500 for three hours' work.
- Do you know what this will cost? We’re talking megabucks here.
- [intransitive] to talk about a person’s private life synonym gossip
- Don't phone me at work—people will talk.
- [intransitive] to give information to somebody, especially unwillingly
- The police questioned him but he refused to talk.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- quietly
- softly
- …
- be able to
- can
- need to
- …
- about
- of
- to
- …
- start talking
- stop talking
- talk a good game
- …
speak to somebody
discuss
say words
sense/nonsense
for emphasis
about private life
give information
Word OriginMiddle English: frequentative verb from the Germanic base of tale or tell.
Idioms
See talk in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee talk in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishknock/talk some sense into somebody
- to try and persuade somebody to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods
- Try and talk some sense into her before she makes the wrong decision.
- Where would I be without you to knock some sense into my head?
know what you’re talking about
- (informal) to have knowledge about something from your own experience
- I worked there for 20 years, so I know what I'm talking about.
look who’s talking | you can/can’t talk | you’re a fine one to talk
- (informal) used to tell somebody that they should not criticize somebody else for something because they do the same things too
- ‘George is so careless with money.’ ‘Look who's talking!’
money talks
- (saying) people who have a lot of money have more power and influence than others
now you’re talking
- (informal) used when you like what somebody has suggested very muchTopics Suggestions and advicec2
speak/talk of the devil
- (informal) people say speak/talk of the devil when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly
- Well, speak of the devil—here's Alice now!
speak/talk out of turn
- to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends somebody
speak/talk the same language
- to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experienceTopics Opinion and argumentc2
talk about…
- (informal) used to emphasize something
- Talk about mean! She didn't even buy me a card.
talk dirty
- (informal) to talk to somebody about sex in order to make them sexually excited
talk a good game
- to talk in a way that sounds convincing, but may not be sincere
- The senior managers talk a good game about customer relations, but really they don't care about the customer.
talk the hind legs off a donkey
- (informal) to talk too much, especially about things that are boring or not important
talking of somebody/something
- (informal, especially British English) used when you are going to say more about a subject that has already been mentioned
- Talking of Sue, I met her new boyfriend last week.
talk/speak of the devil
- (informal) people say talk/speak of the devil when somebody they have been talking about appears unexpectedly
- Well, talk of the devil—here's Alice now!
talk shop
- (usually disapproving) to talk about your work with the people you work with, especially when you are also with other people who are not connected with or interested in it
- Whenever we meet up with Clive and Sue they always end up talking shop.
talk the talk
- (informal, sometimes disapproving) to be able to talk in a confident way that makes people think you are good at what you do
- You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? (= can you act in a way that matches your words?)
talk through your hat
- (old-fashioned, informal) to say silly things while you are talking about a subject you do not understand
talk tough (on something)
- (informal, especially North American English) to tell people very strongly what you want
talk turkey
- (informal, especially North American English) to talk about something seriously
talk your way out of something/of doing something
- to make excuses and give reasons for not doing something; to manage to get yourself out of a difficult situation
- I managed to talk my way out of having to give a speech.
you can/can't talk | look who's talking | you're a fine one to talk
- (informal) used to tell somebody that they should not criticize somebody else for something because they do the same things too
you're a fine one to talk | look who's talking | you can/can't talk
- (informal) used to tell somebody that they should not criticize somebody else for something because they do the same things too
Check pronunciation:
talk