From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspeak up phrasal verb1 SPEAK A LANGUAGEused to ask someone to speak louder Could you speak up, please?2 SAY/STATEto say something, especially to express your opinion There was a brief silence, then Gerald spoke up.3 speak up for somebodySUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLAN to speak in support of someone He is willing to speak up for the rights of women. → speak→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
speak up for somebody• If those with inside knowledge of the facts didn't speak up for Britain, who the hell would?• Erlend, six years younger, needed some one to speak up for him, sometimes.• My captor found no reply to this, but luckily a Monster Fish Maiden spoke up for him.• He was to celebrate the inauguration in Florida speaking up for the black voters who feel disenfranchised.• Did they make fun of him for speaking up for the underdog in school?• Who actually speaks up for the vulnerable older person?• She identified with them, spoke up for them, tackled situations others had avoided.• Ella Anderson speaks up for tulips.• You'll have to learn to speak up for yourself. 