speaking up 1 of 2

Definition of speaking upnext

speaking up

2 of 2

verb

present participle of speak up

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of speaking up
Verb
Many students on the Greenwich Village campus have been speaking up in support of the faculty. Christina Fan, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026 The bigger repercussion of not speaking up is losing yourself. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026 While leaders debate the State of the Union this week, student advocates like me are speaking up for the State of the Kids with Save the Children Action Network. Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026 Still, his speaking up lead producers to revise the way the character was written once Jordan took over — a change Jordan credits to his Black Panther costar. Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026 Is this happening in other agencies, with state employees fearful of speaking up and potentially losing their jobs, as was the fate of the DHS whistleblower? Steve Arentz, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026 And that’s precisely why the American Dental Association is speaking up. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026 First goals, clean sheets and speaking up The SheBelieves Cup marks a key moment in the American soccer calendar in 2026. Emily Olsen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026 None of the American athletes speaking up right now is violating the rules. Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speaking up
Verb
  • Jen Shah is speaking out for the first time since she was released from prison after serving time for her role in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.
    McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
  • London Mayor Sadiq Khan is speaking out about Kanye West‘s recently announced performance at the 2026 Wireless Festival in London.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Ben Steinberg, a 26-year-old film student at Cal State Northridge, has long been a vocal and active proponent of reopening Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome, which has been closed since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Some were axed immediately; others were rewritten and re-recorded, keeping Oli’s voice pure, stripped of the vocal doubling that had been his signature on previous records.
    Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Perhaps in response, a Microsoft executive downplayed the company's AI focus last month while talking up major improvements to future Windows 11 updates.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Keuilian had been talking up the bath all day.
    Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The scene quickly becomes chaotic with shouting on both sides.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
  • What was disturbing were people who sped past a foot away from elderly people, shouting obscenities with faces twisted in hatred.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Younger Republican voters and GOP contrarians are piping up to challenge the broad consensus in the Republican Party that has been in lockstep with policy on Israel.
    Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Some of the most influential names in business have been sounding off on exactly that, and their answers might make younger generations reconsider a traditional path.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Key center backs Cristian Romero and Van de Ven kept getting sent off, with the former sounding off multiple times in public about Spurs as a club and was disciplined internally.
    Joe Prince-Wright, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Gus gave Johnny the full explanation of how rain meant that the universe was crying on Good Friday because Jesus died on the cross.
    David Mcgrath, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Still reading the emails, still crying about it.
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The protesters were using a bullhorn and yelling loudly, disrupting services, authorities said.
    Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Both sections typically feature fans banging on drums and yelling chants throughout the game.
    PJ Green April 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Speaking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speaking%20up. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster