as in spoke up
to voice one's opinions freely with force
it's a free country, so anyone can speak out
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Recent Examples of spoke out
Massachusetts leaders spoke out quickly after the death of former Congressman and House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank was announced on Wednesday morning, praising his service to the state and the country.
—
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The majority of residents who spoke on the item at Thursday’s meeting spoke out against it, expressing concern that another bond on the heels of the $400 million Miami Forever Bond — approved in 2017 — was fiscally irresponsible.
—Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Opponents of gas tax holidays — including a trio of trucking groups that spoke out against the proposal on Monday — contend that consumers end up saving little since the pause is implemented at the wholesale level.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And a majority of those women who spoke out about his past actions are comics that were noticeably not on the festival lineup.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
The proposal led to a contentious village board meeting at which residents spoke out and fought with the developer, arguing that multifamily units would not be a good fit for the mostly single-family home neighborhood.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Since Kevin first spoke out Tuesday from Mexico pleading for his parents’ deportation, his health has deteriorated dramatically.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 7 May 2026
One day after teams of federal agents flooded the MacArthur Park area in a sweeping drug enforcement operation, the neighboring Langer's Deli owner and other community members spoke out on issues plaguing the area.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 7 May 2026
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also spoke out against the seizure of the flotilla.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The majority of residents who spoke on the item at Thursday’s meeting spoke out against it, expressing concern that another bond on the heels of the $400 million Miami Forever Bond — approved in 2017 — was fiscally irresponsible.
—Tess Riski
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Opponents of gas tax holidays — including a trio of trucking groups that spoke out against the proposal on Monday — contend that consumers end up saving little since the pause is implemented at the wholesale level.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 13 May 2026
And a majority of those women who spoke out about his past actions are comics that were noticeably not on the festival lineup.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
The proposal led to a contentious village board meeting at which residents spoke out and fought with the developer, arguing that multifamily units would not be a good fit for the mostly single-family home neighborhood.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Since Kevin first spoke out Tuesday from Mexico pleading for his parents’ deportation, his health has deteriorated dramatically.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 7 May 2026
One day after teams of federal agents flooded the MacArthur Park area in a sweeping drug enforcement operation, the neighboring Langer's Deli owner and other community members spoke out on issues plaguing the area.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 7 May 2026
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also spoke out against the seizure of the flotilla.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke out
Verb
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The Fever were in the midst of putting together a win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday when Scott spoke up after LaChina Robinson mentioned in the fourth quarter that Clark was responsible for 38 of the Fever’s points with under 10 minutes to play.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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Genuine psychological safety means tracking those patterns, not just the incidents — monitoring whether the people who spoke up face quieter costs over time.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Video shows immigration authorities shoving a woman through a line of masked and armed guards and threatening to deploy pepper spray as protesters shouted at the agents.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
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Goldberg shouted with her arms outstretched.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Seydoux has been talked up as a Best Actress contender here at the festival.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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The Dodgers and Roberts have talked up Hernández’s strides defensively since moving back to left field this season.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Trump has become the president who cried peace.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
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Asked to expound on his near brush with death, Refn eventually broke down and cried, triggering a thunderous applause in the press conference.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Miller and the team yelled countless times over the past few months, through the losses and long practices and abundance of life lessons.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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Somebody ate my dinner as Sharon Stone yelled at me to hug a stranger.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Before Schiraldi could respond, a second rep piped up in Richards’s defense.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
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Garrett Tyrrell of Durango, sitting to her right, piped up.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sounded off on China and Pakistan, which is trying to broker a peace deal in the Iran war.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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Francis then sounded off on the critics and naysayers who have seemingly lined up to wrong him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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In December of that year, a group subsequently called the Paxton Boys murdered six individuals there, setting fire to their homes in the early dawn of a snowy day Another fourteen residents had been away at the time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
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Ferrari — Shares of the Italian luxury carmarker fell 3% after Ferrari launched its first fully electric vehicle , called Luce, at a venue in Rome.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoke%20out. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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