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to talk trash

to talk trash

18 7.5
Say insulting, bragging words to make someone angry or nervous
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɔk træʃ/
  • Offensive
: hablar basura
  • He always loves to talk trash before the big game to intimidate his opponents.
  • the guy talks trash
  • people talk trash
  • just talk trash

And then like talks trash about me or something.

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Examples

  • Do you actually have a purpose or do you just talk trash?

  • We lost the game because our players talked trash all week about how they felt the Giants had what belonged to us!

    Blog text (32)
  • Do you always have to talk trash?

  • I'll talk trash with ya.

  • And Derek Martin starts to talk trash to Michael.

  • All these Gators ever do is talk trash.

  • Will he be level-headed and consistent, or will he carry a big stick and talk trash?

    Blog text (1)
  • So if you're going to talk trash, at least try to make some sense instead of making a stupid generic comment like that.

    Blog text (4)
  • The Oregon League of Awesome is more about talking trash than winning, so since I'm winning games, I felt a need to talk trash.

    Blog text (10)
  • I have a popular YouTube page and I used to go crazy when the "Trolls" would talk trash on my videos.

    Blog text (15)

Synonyms

to trash
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
66 5.8

To say very bad things about someone or something

adds a personal boasting element aimed at provoking or intimidating rivals
to mouth off
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
36 8.3

To speak rudely and loudly to a person in charge

is more about insulting or boasting to provoke opponents specifically
to abuse
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
26 4.2

To say rude or insulting words to someone to hurt them

adds a boastful, provocative intent targeting opponents rather than general insult
to badmouth
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
11 7.6

To speak badly about someone behind their backs

is more direct and openly provocative, combining insult with boasting
to talk that shit
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
9 9.9

To say rude, bragging things to impress people or make them angry

is similar but is less vulgar and more general in tone
to crow about
vsto talk trash
9 7.9

To brag in a way that annoys other people

adds insulting provocation and direct challenge to opponents rather than simple pride
to snipe
vsto talk trash
5 7.7

To criticize someone in a sly, indirect way

is more direct and openly provocative, not sly or indirect
to throw dirt
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
2 7.2

Say bad things about someone to harm their reputation

focuses more on direct insult and boastful provocation rather than reputation damage
to slur
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
2 7.7

To say insulting things about someone to harm their reputation

is more about provoking opponents with insult and boastful challenge
to rubbish
vsto talk trash
  • UK
2 7.4

To say bad things about someone or something and call it useless

tends to be more about taunting and challenging opponents than simple dismissal
to talking trash
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
1 8.1

Say rude or insulting things to make someone feel bad

is the same meaning but uses a simple verb phrase rather than the -ing form
to cheek
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
1 8.6

To speak rudely to someone

usually pairs that rudeness with boastful provocation aimed at opponents
to spit poison
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
1 7.9

Say very angry, hurtful things to someone to hurt them

often includes challenging boasting aimed at provoking an opponent rather than only anger
to throw brickbats
vsto talk trash
  • Literature
1 8.9

Attack someone with strong words in public

is usually less formal and adds boasting intent to provoke an opponent
to vituperate
vsto talk trash
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To criticize someone angrily using harsh words

can be more taunting and boastful with intention to intimidate opponents
to speak with venom
vsto talk trash
1 7.8

Say angry, cruel things about someone

is similar but often includes bragging to provoke rather than pure bitterness
to shoot one's mouth off
vsto talk trash
  • Informal
8.0

To say things carelessly or proudly without thinking about the result

focuses more on bragging to provoke a rival rather than careless speaking

Antonyms

300 1.6

A polite remark that praises someone or something

220 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Insulting

to vilify
39 7.9
to talk trash
  • Offensive
18 7.5
taunt
  • Offensive
18 5.4
to mock
  • Offensive
264 3.4
to tease
228 1.9

Surface Forms

talk trash infinitive
talked trash past participle
talking trash present participle
talks trash third person singular

Morphology

talk + trash

The meaning 'to speak in an insulting or boastful way' is directly derivable from combining 'talk' (to speak) with 'trash' (worthless or insulting content), so a learner who knows both words can infer that it means speaking rubbish or insults. Although colloquial, the compositional logic is straightforward and mirrored in many languages (e.g., equivalents of 'talking rubbish' or 'trash talk'), making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The idiom talk trash comes from a simple image: a person talks with words like trash, saying worthless, hurtful things to bother or scare someone. So, it means 'to speak in an insulting or boastful way to provoke someone'.