TALK

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does talk mean? 

• TALK (noun)
  The noun TALK has 5 senses:

1. an exchange of ideas via conversation

2. discussion; ('talk about' is a less formal alternative for 'discussion of')

3. the act of giving a talk to an audience

4. a speech that is open to the public

5. idle gossip or rumor

  Familiarity information: TALK used as a noun is common.

• TALK (verb)
  The verb TALK has 6 senses:

1. exchange thoughts; talk with

2. express in speech

3. use language

4. reveal information

5. divulge confidential information or secrets

6. deliver a lecture or talk

  Familiarity information: TALK used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TALK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An exchange of ideas via conversation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

talk; talking

Context example:

let's have more work and less talk around here

Hypernyms ("talk" is a kind of...):

conversation (the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "talk"):

cant; pious platitude (insincere talk about religion or morals)

dialog; dialogue; duologue (a conversation between two persons)

heart-to-heart (an intimate talk in private)

shmooze ((Yiddish) a warm heart-to-heart talk)

shop talk (talk about your business that only others in the same business can understand)

idle words; jazz; malarkey; malarky; nothingness; wind (empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk)

cackle; chatter; yack; yak; yakety-yak (noisy talk)

Derivation:

talk (reveal information)

talk (exchange thoughts; talk with)

talk (use language)

talk (express in speech)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Discussion; ('talk about' is a less formal alternative for 'discussion of')

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

his poetry contains much talk about love and anger

Hypernyms ("talk" is a kind of...):

discourse; discussion; treatment (an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic)

Derivation:

talk (express in speech)

talk (exchange thoughts; talk with)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of giving a talk to an audience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

I attended an interesting talk on local history

Hypernyms ("talk" is a kind of...):

lecture; lecturing (teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "talk"):

chalk talk (a talk that uses a blackboard and chalk)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A speech that is open to the public

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

lecture; public lecture; talk

Context example:

he attended a lecture on telecommunications

Hypernyms ("talk" is a kind of...):

address; speech (the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience)

Derivation:

talk (deliver a lecture or talk)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Idle gossip or rumor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

talk; talk of the town

Context example:

there has been talk about you lately

Hypernyms ("talk" is a kind of...):

comment; gossip; scuttlebutt (a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people)

Derivation:

talk (divulge confidential information or secrets)

talky (full of trivial conversation)

• TALK (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they talk    ... he / she / it talks   
Past simple: talked   
Past participle: talked   
-ing form: talking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Exchange thoughts; talk with

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

speak; talk

Context example:

Actions talk louder than words

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "talk"):

rap (talk volubly)

dish the dirt; gossip (wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies)

butterfly; chat up; coquet; coquette; dally; flirt; mash; philander; romance (talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions)

converse; discourse (carry on a conversation)

talk down (speak in a condescending manner, as if to a child)

monologuise; monologuize; soliloquise; soliloquize (talk to oneself)

talk turkey (discuss frankly, often in a business context)

level (talk frankly with; lay it on the line)

cheek (speak impudently to)

dogmatise; dogmatize (speak dogmatically)

spiel (speak at great length (about something))

orate (talk pompously)

pontificate (talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner)

discourse; dissertate; hold forth (talk at length and formally about a topic)

carry on; continue; go on; proceed (continue talking)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s to somebody

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue talk

Derivation:

talk (an exchange of ideas via conversation)

talk (discussion; ('talk about' is a less formal alternative for 'discussion of'))

talkative (friendly and open and willing to talk)

talking (an exchange of ideas via conversation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Express in speech

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

mouth; speak; talk; utter; verbalise; verbalize

Context example:

This depressed patient does not verbalize

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Verb group:

verbalise; verbalize (be verbose)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "talk"):

maunder; mumble; mussitate; mutter (talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice)

inflect; modulate; tone (vary the pitch of one's speech)

murmur (speak softly or indistinctly)

snivel; whine (talk in a tearful manner)

open up (talk freely and without inhibition)

jaw; rattle on; yack; yack away; yap away (talk incessantly and tiresomely)

blab; blabber; chatter; clack; gabble; gibber; maunder; palaver; piffle; prate; prattle; tattle; tittle-tattle; twaddle (speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly)

generalise; generalize (speak or write in generalities)

deliver; present (deliver (a speech, oration, or idea))

chatter (make noise as if chattering away)

slur (utter indistinctly)

bark (speak in an unfriendly tone)

bay (utter in deep prolonged tones)

jabber; mouth off; rabbit on; rant; rave; spout (talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner)

hiss; sibilate; siss; sizz (express or utter with a hiss)

cackle (talk or utter in a cackling manner)

babble (utter meaningless sounds, like a baby, or utter in an incoherent way)

chant; intone; tone (utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically)

gulp (utter or make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly)

sing (produce tones with the voice)

rasp (utter in a grating voice)

read (look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed)

phonate; vocalise; vocalize (utter speech sounds)

troll (speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice)

begin (begin to speak or say)

lip off; shoot one's mouth off (speak spontaneously and without restraint)

shout (utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking))

whisper (speak softly; in a low voice)

peep (speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice)

speak up (speak louder; raise one's voice)

snap; snarl (utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone)

speak in tongues (speak unintelligibly in or as if in religious ecstasy)

enthuse (utter with enthusiasm)

blunder; blunder out; blurt; blurt out; ejaculate (utter impulsively)

bumble; falter; stammer; stutter (speak haltingly)

drone; drone on (talk in a monotonous voice)

blubber; blubber out (utter while crying)

talk about; talk of (discuss or mention)

whiff (utter with a puff of air)

verbalise; verbalize (be verbose)

swallow (utter indistinctly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

talk (an exchange of ideas via conversation)

talk (discussion; ('talk about' is a less formal alternative for 'discussion of'))

talker (someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Use language

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

speak; talk

Context example:

they speak a strange dialect

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "talk"):

run on (talk or narrate at length)

smatter (speak with spotty or superficial knowledge)

slang (use slang or vulgar language)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue talk

Derivation:

talk (an exchange of ideas via conversation)

talker (someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous))

Sense 4

Meaning:

Reveal information

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

spill; talk

Context example:

The former employee spilled all the details

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

tell (let something be known)

Verb group:

babble; babble out; blab; blab out; let the cat out of the bag; peach; sing; spill the beans; talk; tattle (divulge confidential information or secrets)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

talk (an exchange of ideas via conversation)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Divulge confidential information or secrets

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

babble; babble out; blab; blab out; let the cat out of the bag; peach; sing; spill the beans; talk; tattle

Context example:

Be careful--his secretary talks

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

break; bring out; disclose; discover; divulge; expose; give away; let on; let out; reveal; uncover; unwrap (make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret)

Verb group:

spill; talk (reveal information)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Antonym:

keep quiet (refrain from divulging sensitive information; keep quiet about confidential information)

Derivation:

talk (idle gossip or rumor)

talkative (unwisely talking too much)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Deliver a lecture or talk

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

lecture; talk

Context example:

Did you ever lecture at Harvard?

Hypernyms (to "talk" is one way to...):

instruct; learn; teach (impart skills or knowledge to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "talk"):

preach; prophesy (deliver a sermon)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something ----s to somebody
Somebody ----s on something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue talk

Derivation:

talk (a speech that is open to the public)

talker (someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous))

 Context examples 

An' you don't know anything about it. You don't know what you're talking about.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Phoo! phoo! cried the Admiral, what stuff these young fellows talk!

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

He had a way of talking to each and doing everybody some particular service.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

It seemed strange talk for a wedding-morning, but what has happened since gives a meaning to it.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

What nonsense, thought the princess, this silly frog is talking!

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

He would talk in a cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure even upon me.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Helen was talking to herself now: she had forgotten I could not very well understand her—that I was ignorant, or nearly so, of the subject she discussed.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

My dearest creature, do not talk of it.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

You can leave the talking to me.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Ah, Mr. Utterson, that’s talking!” cried the butler.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)