noun · verb · 28 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/tɔʊ̯k/African-American Vernacular
Canada, dialectal:/tɒk/of the US
Australian, New-Zealand:/toːk/
homophone: torc
homophone: torq
homophone: torque (all non-rhotic)
homophone: tock (cot–caught merger)
rhymes with -ɔːk
CMU ARPABET:T AO1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A conversation or discussion; usually serious, but informal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
We need to have a talk about your homework.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A lecture.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
There is a talk on Shakespeare tonight.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Gossip; rumour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
There's been talk lately about the two of them.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A major topic of social discussion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: preceded by the; often qualified by a following of; preceded by the; often qualified by a following of
Examples
She is the talk of the day.
The musical is the talk of the town.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A customary conversation by parent(s) or guardian(s) with their (often teenage) child about a reality of life; in particular:
A customary conversation in which parent(s) explain sexual intercourse to their child.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: preceded by the
Examples
Have you had the talk with Jay yet? I found a condom in his room.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A customary conversation by parent(s) or guardian(s) with their (often teenage) child about a reality of life; in particular:
A customary conversation in which the parent(s) of a black child explain the racism and violence they may face, especially when interacting with police, and strategies to manage it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
Qualifier: preceded by the
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Empty boasting, promises or claims.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
The party leader's speech was all talk.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Meeting to discuss a particular matter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, plural-normally, uncountable
Examples
The leaders of the G8 nations are currently in talks over nuclear weapons.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conference, debate, discussion, meeting
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To communicate, usually by means of speech.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
Let's sit down and talk.
Although I don't speak Chinese, I managed to talk with the villagers using signs and gestures.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To discuss; to talk about.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, transitive
Examples
They sat down to talk business.
That's enough about work, let's talk holidays!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
verb
Meaning 11
To speak (a certain language).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
We talk French sometimes.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
verb
Meaning 12
Used to emphasise the importance, size, complexity etc. of the thing mentioned.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, transitive
Examples
Are you interested in the job? They're talking big money.
We're not talking rocket science here: it should be easy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
To confess, especially implicating others.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, slang
Examples
Suppose he talks?
She can be relied upon not to talk.
They tried to make me talk.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
verb
Meaning 14
To criticize someone for something of which one is guilty oneself.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
I am not the one to talk.
She is a fine one to talk.
You should talk.
Look who's talking.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
verb
Meaning 15
To gossip; to create scandal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
People will talk.
Aren't you afraid the neighbours will talk?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
verb
Meaning 16
To manifest outwardly in speech, as opposed to reality or action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
verb
Meaning 17
To influence someone to express something, especially a particular stance or viewpoint or in a particular manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
That's not like you at all, Jared. The drugs are talking. Snap out of it!
Narrower terms: continue, go on, carry on, proceed, hold forth, discourse, dissertate, pontificate, orate, talk down, spiel, dogmatize, dogmatise, cheek, level, talk turkey, monologuize, monologuise, soliloquize, soliloquise, converse, chat up, flirt, dally, butterfly, coquet, coquette, romance, philander, mash, dish the dirt, gossip, rap
28
verb
Meaning 28
use language
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the baby talks already
the prisoner won't speak
they speak a strange dialect
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: speak
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: communicate, intercommunicate
Narrower terms: run on, smatter, slang
History
Etymology
From Middle English talk, talke (“conversation; discourse”), from the verb (see above).
From Middle English talken, talkien, from Old English *tealcian (“to talk, chat”), from Proto-West Germanic *talkōn, from Proto-Germanic *talkōną (“to talk, chatter”), frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *talōną (“to count, recount, tell”), from Proto-Indo-European *dol-, *del- (“to aim, calculate, adjust, count”), equivalent to tell + -k. Cognates Cognate with Low German taalken (“to chatter, gossip, talk”). Related also to Bavarian zoin (“to pay”), Cimbrian zaln (“to pay”), Dutch talen (“to care, long; to speak; to say”), German zahlen (“to pay”), Mòcheno zoln (“to pay”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål tale (“to talk, speak”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish tala (“to speak, talk”), Norwegian Nynorsk tala (“to speak, talk”); also Latin dolus (“deceit, deception, fraud, guile, treachery, trickery; malice; artifice, device, stratagem”), Ancient Greek δόλος (dólos, “deceit, trick; wiles; bait”), Armenian տող (toġ, “line (in a text)”). More at tale. Despite the surface similarity, unrelated to Proto-Indo-European *telkw- (“to talk”) (due to Grimm's law), which is the source of loquacious.
Across languages
Translations
415 source translations are retained for this English entry.
