talking 1 of 3

adjective

as in speaking

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talking

2 of 3

noun

as in communication

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talking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of talk
1
as in lecturing
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject the fire chief often talks at school assemblies about fire safety

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2
as in chatting
to engage in casual or rambling conversation talked with our neighbor as we unloaded the groceries from the car

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3
as in saying
to express (a thought or emotion) in words you're talking nonsense: take a minute and think about what you are trying to say, and then start speaking

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4
as in informing
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities after being threatened, the eyewitness started talking at length about what he had seen in the alley

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5
as in gossiping
to relate sometimes questionable or secret information of a personal nature you're a fine one to talk about your sister's marital problems when you have had plenty of your own

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 talking
Noun
The evidence is murkier than the common talking point suggests. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 Fan behavior was a big talking point coming out of Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama game. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The actress and her styling team let the dress do the talking and paired it with the minimalist Paris Texas Lidia Mules in metallic silver. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 The show is one of the big talking points at the MIPCOM international TV market in Cannes this year, where stars Amell and Nader are promoting. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 The first half focuses on the early entrepreneurial years, deftly incorporating archival footage with the usual talking heads. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026 The idea that menopause care can be improved through smart public policy measures is such a major talking point largely because of Weiss-Wolf. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2026 Madison kept the rest of the look relatively restrained, letting the gown do most of the talking. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Oct. 2026 In both cases, the media played a critical role in shaping public opinion by framing, by omission, by repetition of official talking points, and by an overall failure to include dissenting voices or the perspectives of those most impacted. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
About half of the inmates are never identified by name onscreen and aren’t featured in talking-head interviews. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026 Moderna and Merck are talking with regulatory authorities about next steps for seeking approval of the vaccine. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 In 2021, Andriesz began talking to the FBI, alleging widespread money laundering and other corruption involving Lutnick. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 When officers arrived at the home, Love was sitting on the back patio, and as police were talking to her relative, Love suddenly stood up and approached the rear sliding door of the home with two large knives. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 After the deputy arrived at the scene and the two men began talking, a gun fell out of Reaves’ pants, officials said. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 In July, Dobrovolny emailed village employees, emphasizing a policy prohibiting them from talking to journalists. — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 Harris, a journalist who previously wrote books on the video game and tech industries, spent months circling his dream subject, talking to his closest friends and collaborators, before he would finally be introduced to David via email. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026 To this day, there are white club kids in New York who are in the club talking in black-ccents and wearing imitations of black people’s hairstyles. — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talking
  1. speaking
  2. lecturing
  3. chatting
  4. saying
  5. informing
  6. gossiping
  7. communicative
  8. conversing
Adjective
  • Parents and caregivers of intellectually disabled or non-speaking autistic people sometimes argue that neurodivergent self-advocates with low support needs can’t speak for those with disabilities that affect their daily lives in more profound ways.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Eun-sae, who has heard Tae-ha speaking Korean, speeds up on her motorbike to whisk Tae-ha away from danger.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of speaking
Verb
  • Respondents in England and Australia were more likely to associate teaching with institutional, credentialed and paid professional roles, such as nursing, lecturing and social work.
    — Gustavo E. Fischman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Zinn traveled the country lecturing to packed auditoriums.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lecturing
Verb
  • Some people were chatting outside the church when something sounded like an engine backfiring.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • From there, wine flowed as attendees tucked into filet mignon and sea bass while chatting across large burgundy floral centerpieces.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of chatting
Verb
  • The league also issued a statement saying that officials had been in contact with Eagles medical personnel and the Cleveland Clinic in London throughout Hurts’ treatment.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Otherwise, Paoli noted few parameters for a Vega commission, saying that each budget is tailor-made to its recipient.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of saying
Verb
  • The mass sampling and real-time information gathering on prediction markets can extend their utility to informing business decisions, according to Zitzewitz.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Intarsia cashmere, combinations of leather and chiffon, and silk knitwear are areas of interest, with softness and lightness informing the broader wardrobe.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of informing
Verb
  • The two women start to hang out again like college pals, gossiping and hip-hip dancing and — always – splitting a bottle of white wine.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Hollywood is gossiping that her current paramour Scooter Braun looks like her past fiancé — Jonathan Davino.
    — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of gossiping
Adjective
  • Through the administration’s embrace (and extensive personal leveraging) of crypto’s potential, crypto and retail speculation are increasingly being woven into the fabric of communicative and cultural spaces.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival ceremony suggested that others understood the communicative potential of clothes at such an event, too.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of communicative
Verb
  • The Pope woke up from surgical anesthesia without any complications, and requested dinner while conversing with Vatican staff.
    — Alice Park, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Mexican security forces, both military and police, were also observed conversing with Border Patrol agents over the international boundary.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of conversing

Phrases Containing talking

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talkiness
talking
talking a blue streak
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Cite this Entry

“Talking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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