as in shouted
to voice one's opinions freely with force
she's never been afraid to speak up at town meetings
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Recent Examples of spoke up
So with the Heat facing the prospect of losing for the eighth time in nine games, with an early 13-point lead lost, the two stepped up and spoke up at halftime, to avoid yet another of the type of third-quarter meltdowns that had cratered this season.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Readers spoke up and delivered votes for restaurants to move on to the next round.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Scherzinger then spoke up again to finish her thought.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2026
Slusser fought back and spoke up, waging legal battles against the NCAA, Mountain West and CSU over her experience.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
In mid-January, after surrendering his shotgun to authorities, Rourke spoke up again about the GoFundMe campaign, which by then had raised $90,000.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Tatum spoke up in a team meeting on Thursday, sharing a message of gratitude and appreciation that resonated with head coach Joe Mazzulla.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Fans spoke up—and KFC listened.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
Not long after, the boy who had participated in teasing his classmates spoke up and asked for accountability, Shenker said.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Readers spoke up and delivered votes for restaurants to move on to the next round.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Scherzinger then spoke up again to finish her thought.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2026
Slusser fought back and spoke up, waging legal battles against the NCAA, Mountain West and CSU over her experience.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
In mid-January, after surrendering his shotgun to authorities, Rourke spoke up again about the GoFundMe campaign, which by then had raised $90,000.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Tatum spoke up in a team meeting on Thursday, sharing a message of gratitude and appreciation that resonated with head coach Joe Mazzulla.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Fans spoke up—and KFC listened.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2026
Not long after, the boy who had participated in teasing his classmates spoke up and asked for accountability, Shenker said.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoke up
Verb
-
The officers shouted overlapping commands, telling LaMorie to stop and drop the knife before firing seconds later.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
King shouted, his voice echoing.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to Variety, London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke out about the festival's controversial move.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The international film community—including the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice festivals and the American Cinematheque—spoke out against these persecutions.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Almost 87 percent of participants cried at least once over the four-week period, with the most common reason being media consumption.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The word hit like a vinyl record scratch during an already emotional scene, as Diller’s wife, Stephanie, quietly cried as a supporter held her.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But anyone with even a casual interest in the Red Sox has talked up Anthony as the next face of the franchise.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
SpaceX currently operates over 10,000 active satellites in orbit and has long talked up its commitment to space safety.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Staley yelled back at him as assistants from both teams separated the two.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
On the day of the shooting, Owens knocked on Lorincz's door to confront her after Owens' son said Lorincz yelled and threw roller skates at him, according to the sheriff's office, but Lorincz would not open the door.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The water is piped up to the data center for liquid cooling of the servers.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Mar. 2026
-
When the crowd got a chance to ask questions, a rancher piped up.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
People sounded off, hearing that the Garrettford-Drexel Hill Fire Company didn't respond to any emergency calls on Wednesday night.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Thousands have sounded off on the video.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spoke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoke%20up. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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