talk
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: tôk
ipa: /tɔːk/
ipa: [tʰoːk]
ipa: /tɔk/
ipa: /tɑːk/
note: without the cot–caught merger
ipa: /tɔk/
note: of Canada
enpr: tŏk
ipa: /tɑk/
note: of Canada
ipa: [tʰɑk]
note: of Canada
ipa: [tʰäk]
note: of Canada
note: African-American Vernacular
ipa: /tɔʊ̯k/
note: of the US
ipa: /tɒk/
ipa: /toːk/
homophone: torc
homophone: torq
homophone: torque (all non-rhotic)
homophone: tock (cot–caught merger)
rhymes: -ɔːk
Forms: form: talks
Etymology: From Middle English talk, talke (“conversation; discourse”), from the verb (see above).
Senses: examples: text: We need to have a talk about your homework.
text: All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.[…]Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connection—or rather as a transition from the subject that started their conversation—such talk had been distressingly out of place.
ref: 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, pages 198–199:
glosses: A conversation or discussion; usually serious, but informal.
examples: text: There is a talk on Shakespeare tonight.
glosses: A lecture.
examples: text: There's been talk lately about the two of them.
glosses: Gossip; rumour.
examples: text: She is the talk of the day.
text: The musical is the talk of the town.
qualifier: preceded by the; often qualified by a following of; preceded by the; often qualified by a following of
glosses: A major topic of social discussion.
examples: text: Have you had the talk with Jay yet? I found a condom in his room.
qualifier: preceded by the
glosses: 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.
examples: text: Later, I made sure to have the talk with my son about being a black boy, […]
ref: 2012, Crystal McCrary, Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World, →ISBN:
text: All the black parents I have ever spoken to have had “the talk” with their sons and daughters. “The talk” is a conversation about how to behave and not to behave with police.
ref: 2016, Jim Wallis, America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge, →ISBN:
text: Now, I was a black man in the South, and my folks had had “the talk” with me. No, not the one about the birds and bees. This one is about the black man and the police.
ref: 2016, Stuart Scott, Larry Platt, Every Day I Fight, →ISBN, page 36:
qualifier: preceded by the
glosses: 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.
examples: text: The party leader's speech was all talk.
glosses: Empty boasting, promises or claims.
raw_tags: not preceded by an article
examples: text: The leaders of the G8 nations are currently in talks over nuclear weapons.
synonyms: conference
debate
discussion
meeting
glosses: Meeting to discuss a particular matter.
Synonyms: word: blabber
word: blather
word: conversation
word: discussion
word: gossip
word: prattle
word: speech
word: talk
Hyponyms: word: chatter
word: talkativeness
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: all talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: all talk and no action
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: all talk and no cider
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: baby talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: betalk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: big talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: book talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: boy talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: brush talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: chalk and talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: chalk talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: chant talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: clapper talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: coffee talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: crib talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: crosstalk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: cross talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: dharma talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: dirty talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: double talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: dread talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: drum talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: elevator talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: girl talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: guy talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: happy talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: hot talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: idle talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: lightning talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: locker room talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: man talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: monkey talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: movie talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: peace talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: pep talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: pillow talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: plenary talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: potty talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: real talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: rough talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: sales talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: self talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: self-talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: sex talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: shit-talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: shit talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: shop talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: side talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: sleep talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: smack-talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: smack talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: small talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: smooth talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: stack talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: straight talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: street talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: sweet talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: table talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk-aholic
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talkback
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk battery
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk bomb
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk box
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talkie
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk is cheap
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk jock
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk jockey
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk of the town
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk page
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk radio
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk show
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talksome
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk story
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk the talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: talk time
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: TV talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: twin talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: uptalk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: uptalking
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: walk and talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: walkie-talkie
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: walk the talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: woman talk
sense: Terms derived from talk (noun)
word: X-talk