Meaning & use
talk at
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Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
to speak to someone without really listening to them or letting them take part in the conversation.
Grammar: Takes an object after 'at': talk at someone. It is not the same as 'talk to', which suggests a real exchange between two people.
Patterns
- talk at someone
- talk at each other
He talked at me for half an hour about his new car and never once asked what I thought.
The teacher was talking at the class rather than discussing the topic with them.
Stop talking at me and start listening for a change.
phrasephrasal verbdisapproving
to direct your words toward a group without checking whether they understand or respond.
Grammar: Often used about speeches or presentations where the speaker ignores the audience's reactions.
Patterns
- talk at an audience
- talk at a group
The manager talked at the whole team instead of inviting questions.
She had a habit of talking at the audience as if they were not in the room.
Common combinations
- talk at length
- The professor talked at length about the theory without pausing for questions.
- talk at someone about something
- My uncle talked at me about politics all through dinner.
- talk at cross purposes
- We were talking at cross purposes and neither of us realized it.
- talk at the same time
- Everyone was talking at the same time, so nothing got decided.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lecture
- Stronger and more formal; it suggests a long, one-sided speech, often with a tone of criticism.
- address
- Neutral and formal; it means to speak to a group, usually with the audience's attention and respect.
- harangue
- Much stronger and more negative; it means to speak angrily at people for a long time.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: talk at or talk to? talk at or talk about?
talk at vs talk to
'Talk to' suggests a real conversation where both people speak and listen; 'talk at' means one person speaks without engaging the other.
talk at vs talk about
'Talk about' means to discuss a subject; 'talk at' focuses on the way one person speaks to another without listening.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'talk at' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Talk at' means to speak to someone without really listening or letting them respond, so 'without letting me say a word' fits perfectly. Option A describes a real exchange, which would be 'talk with'. Option C means a serious discussion, so 'talk to' is correct. Option D is wrong because you 'talk about' a movie, not 'talk at' it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “talk at”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.