—| B2-C1 (upper-intermediate to advanced) |—

In North American English, this word typically means:

• PHRASAL VERB:

  to talk to someone without giving them the opportunity to speak or respond

EXAMPLES:

1. My old boss was horrible! He would never actually listen to what we had to say because he would never let us speak; he was so self-centred that he would only talk at us, and loudly at that.

2. The moment she walked in the door, he immediately started talking at her. He was just so excited about what had momentarily happened.

   “Slow down!” she said, holding out her right palm like a stop sign. “Give me a minute to respond to your question before you ask another. A conversation is a two-way street, you know.”

ASSOCIATED WORDS:

Some synonyms to “to talk at” include:

• PHRASAL VERB:

  • to speak at

  • to go on and on and on (nuance: exaggeration; potentially impolite)

• COLLOCATION:

  • to talk without end

Have you ever found yourself talking at someone? Has anyone ever talked at you? What was the situation? Let me know in the comments below.