speak for

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 books. Fred and Charlie spoke for the same one./ 3. To give an impression of; be evidence that (something) is or will be said. - Used with the words "well" or "ill". * /It seems that it will rain today. That speaks ill for the picnic this afternoon./ * /Who robbed the cookie jar? The crumbs on your shirt speak ill for you, Billy./ * /John wore a clean shirt and a tie when he went to ask for a job, and that spoke well for him./ * /It speaks well for Mary that she always does her homework./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • 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 — verb be a spokesperson for (Freq. 6) He represents the Government s position • Hypernyms: ↑represent • Verb Frames: Somebody s something Something s somebody * * * 1 …   Useful english 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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