speak of

phrasal verb

spoke of; spoken of; speaking of; speaks of
1
: to talk or write about (someone or something) : to mention (a subject) in speech or writing
Speaking of Jill, where is she?
It was the first time she spoke of going to law school.
She never speaks of her suffering during the war.
In the letter, he spoke of feeling ill.
2
: to indicate or suggest (something)
His diaries speak of a troubled mind.
3
: to talk about (someone or something) in a specified way
He spoke well/highly/favorably of both job candidates.
4
chiefly US : to show that (someone or something) does or does not deserve to be praised, admired, etc.
The continued success of the business speaks well of their judgment.
Her bad behavior speaks poorly of her upbringing.

Examples of speak of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But as well as Trump's administration indicating security priorities elsewhere, such as Asia, the president himself has spoken of halving the U.S. defense budget. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025 And speaking of Cora, a lot of the Red Sox’s aggressiveness this offseason is a direct result of his contract extension negotiation last July. Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025 Listen to this article MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 131-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks: – Wednesday was another one of those days when the Heat spoke of hope for a move up the standings. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025 So, speaking of the federal government, President Trump authorized federal disaster assistance from FEMA. Destinee Adams, NPR, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for speak of

Cite this Entry

“Speak of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speak%20of. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

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