talked; talking; talks
1
a
: to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken words or sign language : converse
b
: to convey information or communicate in any way (as with signs or sounds)
can make a trumpet talk
make the computer talk to the printer
2
: to use (a language) for conversing or communicating : speak
… the peculiar French patois that he talked.—
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland4
: to give a talk : lecture
1
: to deliver or express in speech : utter
2
: to make the subject of conversation or discourse : discuss
talk business
3
: to influence, affect, or cause by talking
talked them into going
4
: to use (a language) for conversing or communicating : speak
talker
noun
plural talkers
2
: a way of speaking : language
3
: pointless or fruitless discussion : verbiage
4
: a formal discussion, negotiation, or exchange of views
—often used in plural
6
: the topic of interested comment, conversation, or gossip
it's the talk of the town
7
8
: communicative sounds or signs resembling or functioning as talk
bird talk
Synonyms
Examples of talk in a Sentence
Verb
She never talks at the meetings.
He did most of the talking during dinner.
He loves to hear himself talk.
I think she's talking a lot of nonsense.
I can't talk right now. I'm running late.
They were talking in Spanish.
We talked on the phone until midnight.
Both sides in the dispute are now willing to talk.
They are in the conference room talking business.
She had laryngitis and couldn't talk.
Noun
the noted author's talk on the state of the modern novel
what good will all this talk do when we need to take action now?
Recent Examples on the WebKerria Weaver, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2024
At this point, the leaders say, a strict phone ban is the only way to get students to talk to one another and their teachers and come to value face-to-face conversations over digital connections.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2024
Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 9 July 2024
Most of that money has flowed toward Russia, however, a trade imbalance that Modi hoped to address during his talks with Putin, according to India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who spoke to reporters ahead of the trip.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for talk 
Verb
Driskell thinks the control of the agenda should stay with the mayor and the town manager, and if two council members want to bring an item forward, that is reasonable consideration to talk among colleagues.
—Kerria Weaver, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2024
At this point, the leaders say, a strict phone ban is the only way to get students to talk to one another and their teachers and come to value face-to-face conversations over digital connections.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2024
Noun
Johansson was first reported to be in talks to lead the franchise into the future in March.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 9 July 2024
Most of that money has flowed toward Russia, however, a trade imbalance that Modi hoped to address during his talks with Putin, according to India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who spoke to reporters ahead of the trip.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for talk
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'talk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near talk
Cite this Entry
“Talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
talk
1 of 2 verb1
: to express in speech
talk sense
2
: to speak about : discuss
talk business
3
: to influence, affect, or cause by talking
talked us into agreeing
4
: to use for communicating
talk sign language
5
a
: to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken words
b
: to communicate in any way
the computer talks to the printer
6
a
: to spread gossip
b
: to reveal secret information
tried to make the suspect talk
talker
noun
talk
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or an instance of talking
2
: a way of speaking
3
: pointless or useless discussion
all talk and no action
4
: a formal discussion or exchange of views : conference
6
: the topic of comment or gossip
it's the talk of the town
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share