/ tɔːk; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
SPEAK TO SB
1.
talk (to / with sb) (about sb/sth) | talk of / on sth to say things; to speak in order to give information or to express feelings, ideas, etc. :
[ v ]
Stop talking and listen!
We talked on the phone for over an hour.
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 sth that sb has just said)
I don't know what you're talking about (= used to say that you did not do sth that sb has accused you of) .
Mary is talking of looking for another job.
[ vn - adj ]
We talked ourselves hoarse , catching up on all the news.
DISCUSS
2.
talk (to / with sb) (about sth) to discuss sth, usually sth serious or important :
[ v ]
This situation can't go on. We need to talk.
The two sides in the dispute say they are ready to talk.
Talk to your doctor if you're still worried.
[ vn ]
to talk business
SAY WORDS
3.
to say words in a language :
[ v ]
The baby is just starting to talk.
We couldn't understand them because they were talking in Chinese.
[ vn ]
Are they talking Swedish or Danish?
SENSE / NONSENSE
4.
[ vn ] to say things that are / are not sensible :
She talks a lot of sense.
( BrE )
You're talking rubbish!
See if you can talk some sense into him (= persuade him to be sensible) .
FOR EMPHASIS
5.
[ vn ] be talking sth ( informal ) used to emphasize an amount of money, how serious sth is, etc. :
We're talking £500 for three hours' work.
ABOUT PRIVATE LIFE
6.
[ v ] to talk about a person's private life
SYN gossip :
Don't phone me at work— people will talk .
GIVE INFORMATION
7.
[ v ] to give information to sb, especially unwillingly :
The police questioned him but he refused to talk.
•
IDIOMS
- look who's talking | you can / can't talk | you're a fine one to talk
- now you're talking
- talk about ...
- talk dirty
- talk the hind leg off a donkey
- talking of sb/sth
- talk shop
- talk the talk
- talk through your hat
- talk tough (on sth)
- talk turkey
- talk your way out of sth / of doing sth
- you can / can't talk
- you're a fine one to talk
—more at devil , know verb , language , money , sense noun , turn noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- talk around / round sth
- talk at sb
- talk back (to sb)
- talk sb/sth down
- talk sth down
- talk down to sb
- talk sb into / out of sth
- talk sth out
- talk sth over (with sb)
- talk sb round (to sth)
- talk sb through sth
- talk sth through
- talk sb/sth up
■ noun
CONVERSATION
1.
[ C ] talk (with sb) (about sth) a conversation or discussion :
I had a long talk with my boss about my career prospects.
I had to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
➡ note at discussion
FORMAL DISCUSSIONS
2.
talks [ pl. ] talk (between A and B) (on / over sth) formal discussions between governments or organizations :
arms / pay / peace, etc. talks
to hold talks
Talks between management and workers broke down over the issue of holiday pay.
A further round of talks will be needed if the dispute is to be resolved.
SPEECH
3.
[ C ] talk (on sth) a speech or lecture on a particular subject :
She gave a talk on her visit to China.
➡ note at speech
WORDS WITHOUT ACTIONS
4.
[ U ] ( informal ) words that are spoken, but without the necessary facts or actions to support them :
It's just talk. He'd never carry out his threats.
Don't pay any attention to her—she's all talk .
STORIES / RUMOURS
5.
[ U ] talk (of sth / of doing sth) | talk (that ... ) stories that suggest a particular thing might happen in the future :
There was talk in Washington of sending in troops.
She dismissed the stories of her resignation as newspaper talk.
TOPIC / WAY OF SPEAKING
6.
[ U ] (often in compounds) a topic of conversation or a way of speaking :
business talk
She said it was just girl talk that a man wouldn't understand.
The book teaches you how to understand Spanish street talk (= slang) .
It was tough talk, coming from a man who had begun the year in a hospital bed.
—see also small talk , sweet talk , trash talk
•
IDIOMS
- the talk of sth
—more at fight verb
••
SYNONYMS
talk
discuss ♦ speak ♦ communicate
These 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 sth:
Have you discussed the problem with anyone?
NOTE
You cannot say 'discuss about sth': I'm not prepared to discuss about this on the phone.
speak
to talk to sb about sth; to have a conversation with sb:
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 sb about sth to try to achieve a particular goal or to tell them to do sth. You talk to sb 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 sb:
We only communicate by email.
•
Dolphins use sound to communicate with each other.
NOTE
Communicate is often used when the speaker wants to draw attention to the means of communication used.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to talk / discuss sth / speak / communicate with sb
to talk / speak to sb
to talk / speak to sb about sth
to talk / speak of sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : frequentative verb from the Germanic base of tale or tell .