to communicate or exchange ideas, information, etc., by speaking

to talk about poetry.

to consult or confer

Talk with your adviser.

to spread a rumor or tell a confidence; gossip.

to chatter or prate.

to employ speech; perform the act of speaking

to talk very softly; to talk into a microphone.

to deliver a speech, lecture, etc.

The professor talked on the uses of comedy in the tragedies of Shakespeare.

to give or reveal confidential or incriminating information

After a long interrogation, the spy finally talked.

to communicate ideas by means other than speech, as by writing, signs, or signals.

Computers . to transmit data, as between computers or between a computer and a terminal.

to make sounds imitative or suggestive of speech.

to express in words; utter

to talk sense.

to use (a specified language or idiom) in speaking or conversing

They talk French together for practice.

to discuss

to talk politics.

Informal . (used only in progressive tenses) to focus on; signify or mean; talk about

This isn't a question of a few hundred dollarswe're talking serious money.

to bring, put, drive, influence, etc., by talk

to talk a person to sleep; to talk a person into doing something.

the act of talking; speech; conversation, esp. of a familiar or informal kind.

an informal speech or lecture.

a conference or negotiating session

peace talks.

report or rumor; gossip

There is a lot of talk going around about her.

a subject or occasion of talking, esp. of gossip

Your wild escapades are the talk of the neighborhood.

mere empty speech

That's just a lot of talk.

a way of talking

a halting, lisping talk.

language, dialect, or lingo.

signs or sounds imitative or suggestive of speech, as the noise made by loose parts in a mechanism. ?

talk around, to bring (someone) over to one's way of thinking; persuade

She sounded adamant over the phone, but I may still be able to talk her around.

talk at,

to talk to in a manner that indicates that a response is not expected or wanted.

to direct remarks meant for one person to another person present; speak indirectly to.

talk away, to spend or consume (time) in talking

We talked away the tedious hours in the hospital.

talk back, to reply to a command, request, etc., in a rude or disrespectful manner

Her father never allowed them to talk back.

talk down,

to overwhelm by force of argument or by loud and persistent talking; subdue by talking.

to speak disparagingly of; belittle.

Also, talk in. to give instructions to by radio for a ground-controlled landing, esp. to a pilot who is unable to make a conventional landing because of snow, fog, etc.

talk down to, to speak condescendingly to; patronize

Children dislike adults who talk down to them.

talk of, to debate as a possibility; discuss

The two companies have been talking of a merger.

talk out,

to talk until conversation is exhausted.

to attempt to reach a settlement or understanding by discussion

We arrived at a compromise by talking out the problem.

British Politics . to thwart the passage of (a bill, motion, etc.) by prolonging discussion until the session of Parliament adjourns. Compare filibuster ( def. 5 ) .

talk over,

to weigh in conversation; consider; discuss.

to cause (someone) to change an opinion; convince by talking

He became an expert at talking people over to his views.

talk up,

to promote interest in; discuss enthusiastically.

to speak without hesitation; speak distinctly and openly

If you don't talk up now, you may not get another chance.

talk big

Informal . to speak boastingly; brag

He always talked big, but never amounted to anything.

talk someone's head or ear off

to bore or weary someone by excessive talk; talk incessantly

All I wanted was a chance to read my book, but my seatmate talked my ear off.

talk to death

to impede or prevent the passage of (a bill) through filibustering.

to talk to incessantly or at great length.

noun

confabulator , conversationist , discourser , babbler , babler , chatterbox , chatterer , conversationalist , debater , interlocutor , lecturer , magpie , orator , speaker