talk

talk1 [ tɔk ] verb ***

▸ 1 communicate

▸ 2 discuss

▸ 3 give lecture

▸ 4 give secret information

▸ 5 achieve something by talking

▸ 6 send information

▸ 7 have power to persuade

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) intransitive to use words to communicate:

Can their baby talk yet?

Am I talking too much?

a ) to have a conversation with other people:

They were all talking and laughing together.

talk to: I need to talk to you.

talk with: Everyone was busily talking with their friends.

talk about: We were talking about you just last night.

b ) if a bird talks, it produces sounds like words:

I've taught my parrot to talk.

2. ) intransitive to discuss a problem, especially to avoid arguments or fighting:

You and I need to talk.

My wife and I aren't talking these days.

talk to: You kids never talk to me (=discuss anything important with me).

keep talking: Officials agreed Monday to keep talking despite the latest crisis.

a ) intransitive to discuss something in writing:

talk about/of: Chapter 3 talks about the causes of the war.

b ) transitive to discuss a subject:

talk politics/sports/religion etc.: He spoiled the evening by talking politics all the time.

talk tactics: OK, that's our goal. Now let's talk actual tactics.

talking of something (=used after a subject has been mentioned in a conversation to introduce a discussion of it): Oh yes, talking of Harry, have you seen him recently?

c ) intransitive to discuss other people's private lives:

You can't stay here the neighbors would talk.

3. ) intransitive to give a lecture on a subject:

talk on/about: In the hall a woman was talking on diet and health.

4. ) intransitive to give information that someone thinks should be secret:

Do you think the prisoners will talk?

5. ) transitive to achieve something by talking

a ) talk someone into/out of (doing) something to persuade someone to do something or not to do something:

I talked her into going to Atlanta with me.

His father talked him out of moving out.

b ) talk (some) sense into someone to persuade someone to act in a sensible way:

He had already tried to talk sense into Lisa.

c ) talk your way into/out of something to persuade someone to let you do or avoid something:

She eventually talked her way into a part in a movie.

6. ) intransitive if a machine talks to another machine, it sends information to that machine:

The software enables the two computers to talk.

7. ) intransitive INFORMAL to have the power to persuade people:

Money talks!

be the drink/drugs etc. talking INFORMAL

used for saying that someone is saying something only because they have had too much alcohol to drink, have taken drugs, etc.

be talking (about) something INFORMAL

used for emphasizing a point:

This is serious, because we're talking millions of voters.

We're talking about people's lives here!

someone can talk/someone is a fine one to talk/look who's talking SPOKEN

used for emphasizing that you think someone is giving advice or an opinion that is the opposite of how they live or what they do themselves:

I was late, so my boss was furious. He can talk! He's never on time!

do (all) the talking INFORMAL

if someone does the talking, they deal with a difficult situation by talking or explaining things

not know what someone is talking about INFORMAL

used for saying that you do not understand what someone is referring to, even though you may really understand:

You went into our room, didn't you? I don't know what you're talking about.

now you're talking SPOKEN

used for showing that you are pleased with an offer that someone is making:

OK, I'll give you $900. Now you're talking!

talk about... SPOKEN

used for emphasizing something:

Talk about cold I was freezing!

Talk about being lazy she wouldn't move an inch!

talk English VERY INFORMAL

to speak using less difficult words or expressions so that someone can understand what you are saying

talk in terms of something

to mention a piece of information as a possibility:

They were talking in terms of $20 million being made available.

talk someone's language/talk the same language as someone INFORMAL

to communicate in a way that someone else can understand:

We just don't talk the same language as people like that.

talk sense/nonsense etc. INFORMAL

to say something that is sensible/stupid etc.

talk through your hat INFORMAL

to talk a lot about a subject you do not really understand

talk trash AMERICAN INFORMAL

to say rude or offensive things to or about someone

,talk a`round phrasal verb transitive AMERICAN

1. ) talk someone around to succeed in persuading someone to agree to something:

She's not happy it, but I'm sure I can talk her around.

2. ) talk around something to discuss something in a general way and without dealing with the most important issues

,talk `back phrasal verb intransitive

to reply quickly and rudely to something someone says. This expression is used especially when talking about children who are being rude to their parents:

talk back to: Melanie, don't talk back to your mother!

,talk `down phrasal verb transitive

1. ) talk someone down INFORMAL to persuade someone to lower the price of something:

talk down to: He wanted five thousand, but I talked him down to four.

2. ) talk someone down INFORMAL to speak to and calm someone who is upset or nervous, especially because they have taken an illegal drug

3. ) talk someone/something down to use a radio to explain to someone who is flying an airplane how to land it

4. ) talk someone/something down AMERICAN to talk about someone or something in a way that makes people think they are not as good as they really are

,talk `down to phrasal verb transitive

talk down to someone to talk to someone as if you think they are not as intelligent or important as you are:

Try not to talk down to your employees.

,talk `out phrasal verb transitive

talk something out to discuss a problem thoroughly with someone who disagrees with you about it:

You need to sit down with her and talk this out.

,talk `over phrasal verb transitive

to discuss a problem or a plan:

You both need to talk over what happened that day.

I know you're still angry; let's talk it over tonight.

,talk `through phrasal verb transitive

1. ) talk someone through something to explain to someone in detail how something should be done:

He talked me through the whole process of sending e-mail.

2. ) talk through something to discuss a plan or situation in a detailed way:

The president talked through all the military options.

,talk `up phrasal verb transitive

to talk about someone or something in a way that makes them seem more important or better than they really are

talk

talk 2 [ tɔk ] noun ***

1. ) count a conversation with someone:

have a talk (with someone): We had a nice talk yesterday.

a ) talks plural discussions between important people from opposing sides designed to help them agree about an issue:

talk with: He visited Egypt in March for talks with the president.

talk between: the outcome of talks between the government and the rebels

talk on: preliminary talks on the future of the steel industry

have/hold talks: The management will be holding informal talks with union officials.

a round/session of talks: the need for a fresh round of peace talks

talks break down/collapse: Talks broke down last week over the issue of overtime pay.

talks resume/reopen: The trade talks will resume next month.

2. ) count an informal lecture about a subject:

give/deliver a talk (on something): Williams gave a series of talks on his travels in Nepal.

3. ) uncount ordinary conversations between people:

I sat there listening to the sailors' talk.

talk of: Talk of housework bored her.

the talk turns to something (=the conversation begins to be about something): Then the talk turned to the upcoming exam.

a ) conversations and discussions about what may happen:

talk of: There was no talk of any cuts in wages.

talk about: There is a lot of talk about welfare reform.

hear talk: We hear talk about being good citizens.

b ) the activity of talking, especially when you think it does not achieve anything:

Most radio stations need less talk and more music.

be all/just talk: She appears to be an expert on men, but it's all talk!

despite/for all someone's talk: For all the government's talk, it does nothing to improve housing conditions.

c ) discussion of other people's private lives:

At first there was a lot of talk, but people soon lost interest.

d ) a style of talking used by a particular group of people:

girl/boy talk

youngsters using up-to-the-minute street talk (=a fashionable way of talking)

e ) the talk of something if something is the talk of a place, people there talk a lot about it:

a fashion display that was the talk of New York

the talk of the town: The couple had suddenly become the talk of the town.

talk is cheap INFORMAL

used for saying that you do not believe that someone will in fact do what they are saying they will do