upspeak

up·speak
U1P3S1P3E1A1K5
/ʌpˈspiːk//ˈʌpspiːk/

verb

To speak up; advocate.

Scrabble 15
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Meanings

verbupspeak (third-person singular simple present upspeaks, present participle upspeaking, simple past upspoke, past participle upspoken)

present singular third person upspeaks · participle present upspeaking · past upspoke · participle past upspoken

  1. intransitiveTo speak up; advocate.

    "Well, if I didn't stay in your home," upspoke the maiden lady, "I shouldn't care to know what it would become."

    1921, Wallace Irwin, Seed of the sun
  2. ambitransitivehuman sciencesTo speak with upspeak; uptalk.
nounupspeak (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA manner of speaking in which the intonation of one's voice rises at the end of a statement, as if expressing uncertainty or asking a question; uptalk.

    [...] the nurse answers in upspeak. “You can work on it only if you're supervised.” Even the Oil of Olay moisturizer is confiscated. “It's in a glass jar?” Upspeak again.

    2012, Elizabeth Flock, But Inside I'm Screaming

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
uptalk

Origin

From up- + speak.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

upspeak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upspeak

MLA

“upspeak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upspeak. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “upspeak,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upspeak.

Source: upspeak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.