- 1 [intransitive, transitive] to say things; to speak in order to give information or to express feelings, ideas, etc. Stop talking and listen! We talked on the phone for over an hour. talk (to/with somebody) (about somebody/something) Who were you talking to just now? We looked around the school and talked with the principal. Ann and Joe aren't talking to each other right now (= they refuse to speak to each other because they have argued). 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). talk of something Mary is talking of looking for another job. talk yourself + adj. We talked ourselves hoarse, catching up on all the news. Wordfinderconferenceconference, delegate, exhibition, name tag, plenary, register, speaker, talk, venue, workshop Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbloudly, quietly, softly, … verb + talkbe able to, can, need to, … prepositionabout, of, to, … phrasesstart talking, stop talking, talk a good game, … See full entry discuss
- 2 [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 say they are ready to talk. talk (to/with somebody) (about something) Talk to your doctor if you're still worried. talk something to talk business Synonymstalkdiscuss 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.discuss (rather formal) to talk and share ideas on a subject or problem with other people, especially in order to decide something:Have you discussed the problem with anyone? You cannot say ‘discuss about something’:I’m not prepared to discuss about this on the phone.speak to talk to somebody about something; to have a conversation with somebody:I’ve spoken to the manager about it. ‘Can I speak to Susan?’ ‘Speaking.’ (= at the beginning of a telephone conversation)talk or speak?Speak can suggest a more formal level of communication than talk. You speak to somebody about something to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do something. You talk to somebody in order to be friendly or to ask their advice:Have you talked to your parents about the problems you’re having? I’ve spoken to Ed about it and he’s promised not to let it happen again.communicate (rather formal) to exchange information or ideas with somebody:We only communicate by email. Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other. Communicate is often used when the speaker wants to draw attention to the means of communication used.debate to discuss something, especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution:Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.consult (rather formal) to discuss something with somebody in order to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision:You shouldn’t have done it without consulting me.Patterns 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 Dictionary adverbloudly, quietly, softly, … verb + talkbe able to, can, need to, … prepositionabout, of, to, … phrasesstart talking, stop talking, talk a good game, … See full entry say words
- 3 [intransitive, transitive] to say words in a language The baby is just starting to talk. talk in something We couldn't understand them because they were talking in Chinese. talk something Are they talking Swedish or Danish? sense/nonsense
- 4[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). for emphasis
- 5[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. about private life
- 6[intransitive] to talk about a person’s private life synonym gossip Don't phone me at work—people will talk. give information
- 7[intransitive] to give information to somebody, especially unwillingly The police questioned him but he refused to talk. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbloudly, quietly, softly, … verb + talkbe able to, can, need to, … prepositionabout, of, to, … phrasesstart talking, stop talking, talk a good game, … See full entry Word OriginMiddle English: frequentative verb from the Germanic base of tale or tell.Extra examples All they talk about is clothes. Bruce Springsteen has agreed to talk exclusively to our reporter about his life. He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad. He was so easy to talk to. I can’t talk about it just now. I loved to hear him talk about the old days. I need to talk to you. I think you’d better talk directly to my manager. I’ll talk to John this afternoon. I’ve talked with him on the telephone. Just shut up and let me talk for a minute. Let’s talk sensibly about this. She talked quite freely about her work. Talking of Joe, I met his new boyfriend last week. The police questioned him for four hours, trying to make him talk. The senior managers talk a good game about customer relations , but really they don’t care about the customer. We often talked of the war. You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? a group of students talking earnestly talking about their new clothes Alex can’t talk yet—he’s only just one year old. Ann and Joe aren’t talking to each other right now. He talked excitedly of his plans. Talk to your doctor if you’re still worried. They spent the whole evening talking business. This situation can’t go on. We need to talk. When they get together, all they talk about is football You’re talking nonsense!Idioms
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BrE BrE//tɔːk//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːk//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they talk BrE BrE//tɔːk//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːk//
he / she / it talks BrE BrE//tɔːks//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːks//
past simple talked BrE BrE//tɔːkt//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːkt//
past participle talked BrE BrE//tɔːkt//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːkt//
-ing form talking BrE BrE//ˈtɔːkɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈtɔːkɪŋ//
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?
(informal) to have knowledge about something from your own experience I’ve lived in China, so I know what I’m talking about.
(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!’
(saying) people who have a lot of money have more power and influence than others
(informal) used when you like what somebody has suggested very much
(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!
to say something that you should not because it is the wrong situation or because it offends somebody
to be able to communicate easily with another person because you share similar opinions and experience
(informal) used to emphasize something Talk about mean! She didn't even buy me a card.
(informal) to talk to somebody about sex in order to make them sexually excited
(North American English) to talk in a way that sounds convincing, but may not be sincere
(informal) to talk too much, especially about boring or unimportant things
(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.
(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.
(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?)
(old-fashioned, informal) to say silly things while you are talking about a subject you do not understand
(informal, especially North American English) to tell people very strongly what you want
(informal, especially North American English) to talk about something seriously
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.
(informal) = look who’s talking
(informal) = look who’s talking Phrasal Verbstalk roundtalk attalk backtalk downtalk down totalk intotalk outtalk overtalk throughtalk up
Check pronunciation: talk
