speak for
phrasal verb
spoke for; spoken for; speaking for; speaks for
: to express the thoughts or opinions of (someone)
They chose him to speak for the group.
Speaking only for myself, I'm against the plan.
"We don't want any dessert." "Speak for yourself. I want some."
—often used figurativelyI don't need to say more. The facts speak for themselves.
Examples of speak for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One woman, in speaking out, can speak for others as well.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
More recently, successful presidential nominees have taken a different political path and run as private citizens, letting their performance in previous government positions speak for themselves.
—Joshua Spivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
This might sound extreme, but the results spoke for themselves.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
In comparison, the second longest speech was by Bill Clinton who spoke for 1 hour and 28 minutes in 2000.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speak for
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
More recently, successful presidential nominees have taken a different political path and run as private citizens, letting their performance in previous government positions speak for themselves.
—Joshua Spivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
This might sound extreme, but the results spoke for themselves.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
In comparison, the second longest speech was by Bill Clinton who spoke for 1 hour and 28 minutes in 2000.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speak for
Cite this Entry
“Speak for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speak%20for. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share