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

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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 — {v.} 1. To speak in favor of or in support of. * /At the meeting John spoke for the change in the rules./ * /The other girls made jokes about Jane, but Mary spoke for her./ 2. To make a request for; to ask for. * /The teacher was giving away some …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • speak for — {v.} 1. To speak in favor of or in support of. * /At the meeting John spoke for the change in the rules./ * /The other girls made jokes about Jane, but Mary spoke for her./ 2. To make a request for; to ask for. * /The teacher was giving away some …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • To speak for Buncombe — Buncombe Bun combe, Bunkum Bun kum, n. [Buncombe a county of North Carolina.] Speech making for the gratification of constituents, or to gain public applause; flattering talk for a selfish purpose; anything said for mere show. [Cant or Slang, U.S …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Speak — Speak, v. i. [imp. {Spoke}({Spake}Archaic); p. p. {Spoken}({Spoke}, Obs. or Colloq.); p. pr. & vb. n. {Speaking}.] [OE. speken, AS. specan, sprecan; akin to OF.ries. spreka, D. spreken, OS. spreken, G. sprechen, OHG. sprehhan, and perhaps to Skr …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Speak & Spell (album) — Speak Spell Studio album by Depeche Mode Released 5 October 1981 …   Wikipedia

  • Speak (Lindsay Lohan album) — for the song of the same name by Godsmack, then go to Speak (Godsmack song).Infobox Album | Name = Speak Type = studio Artist = Lindsay Lohan Released = December 7 2004 flagicon|US Recorded = May October 2004 Genre = Pop rock, dance pop, teen pop …   Wikipedia

  • SPEAK network — SPEAK is an evangelical Christian network which connects people to campaign and pray on issues of global justice. Through bringing change to situations of injustice SPEAK aims to share their faith in God.SPEAK combines campaigning and prayer… …   Wikipedia

  • Speak — can mean: * Speech communication * SPEAK (Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids), a Maryland based organization for suicide prevention * Speak (artist), the Hungarian rap artist and internet phenomenon famous for his anti war video *… …   Wikipedia

  • Speak & Read — was an electronic learning aid made in 1980, by Texas Instruments. Speak and Read was part of a family of learning toys aimed at different subjects, i.e. Speak and Math and Speak and Spell .Speak Read was designed to help children from ages 4 to… …   Wikipedia

  • Speak of the Devil — is an idiom or phrase used in both written and spoken English. It is used when an object of discussion (normally a person) unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation. For example, if Alice and Bob start discussing Charlie while he isn t …   Wikipedia

  • speak the same language — {v. phr.} To have similar feelings, thoughts, and tastes; have a mutual understanding with another person. * /We both love listening to Mozart. Obviously, we speak the same language./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

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