speak for

speak for
verb
be a spokesperson for (Freq. 6)
-

He represents the Government's position

• Hypernyms: ↑represent
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s somebody

* * *

1 she speaks for the Liberal Democrats: REPRESENT, act for, appear for, express the views of, be spokesperson for.
→ speak

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speak for
1. To speak on behalf of or in favour of
2. To be a proof of or witness to
3. To bespeak or engage
• • •
Main Entry: ↑speak

* * *

ˈspeak for [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they speak for he/she/it speaks for present participle speaking for past tense spoke for past participle spoken for] phrasal verb
to represent the feelings or opinions of another person or group of people

I know I speak for us all when I say how sorry I am for this mistake.

Thesaurus: to be responsible for somethingsynonym
Main entry: speak

* * *

speak for [phrasal verb]
1 speak for (someone) : to express the thoughts or opinions of (someone)

They chose him to speak for the group.

Speaking only for myself, I'm against the plan. [=I'm only expressing my own opinion when I say that I'm against the plan]

“We don't want any dessert.” “Speak for yourself. I want some.”

— often used figuratively

I have nothing more to say. The facts speak for themselves. [=the facts clearly show what is true]

2 speak for (something or someone) chiefly US : to show that (something or someone) does or does not deserve to be praised, admired, etc.

It speaks well for [=says a lot for] the company that it donates so much money to local charities.

Her calm reaction to the crisis speaks well for her ability to perform under pressure.

The test results speak poorly for our school system.

3 be spoken for : to not be available because of already being claimed by someone else or in a relationship with someone else

I'm sorry. This seat is spoken for.

I can't go out with you; I'm already spoken for.

• • •
Main Entry: ↑speak

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • speak for — (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for — (yourself) to say what you really believe or think is true. She should tell us what happened – I mean, she s an adult, she can speak for herself. Usage notes: sometimes used to say you do not agree with what someone else has said: “Without makeup …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for — index plead (argue a case), promote (organize), represent (substitute), uphold Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C …   Law dictionary

  • speak for — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms speak for : present tense I/you/we/they speak for he/she/it speaks for present participle speaking for past tense spoke for past participle spoken for speak for someone/something to represent the feelings or… …   English dictionary

  • speak for — verb a) To speak on somebodys behalf. I think I speak for the whole group when I say that were glad you came. b) To claim, reserve, or occupy. Be sure to speak for a seat early, if you plan to attend …   Wiktionary

  • speak for — phr verb Speak for is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑record …   Collocations dictionary

  • speak for yourself — spoken phrase used for telling someone that your opinion about something is different from theirs ‘No one wants pizza again tonight.’ ‘Speak for yourself! I do!’ Thesaurus: expressions showing anger and used in argumentshyponym arguments and… …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for itself — phrase if something speaks for itself, it is clearly so good or effective that no additional argument about it is necessary His success as a lawyer speaks for itself. Thesaurus: to be good enough or as good as expectedsynonym Main entry: speak *… …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for someone — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for something — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

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