to think before you speak
4
3.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
piensa antes de hablar
- Then think before you speak, colleague.
- always think before you speak
- learn to think before you speak
Stop and think before you speak and turn down the volume on some of that anger.
- Stop and think before you speak and turn down the volume on some of that anger.
- For a narcissistic person who wants to be better, you have to commit to thinking before you speak or before you act.
- Yeah, it's like, no, you'd think before you speak and just like it's OK to be silent together.
Examples
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Think before you speak and please, please choose your words a little more wisely.
Blog text (9) -
If you don't want criticism, you should think before you speak.
Blog text (7) -
- You ever think before you speak?
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Do you ever think before you speak?
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Now, think before you speak.
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Next time, try thinking before you speak.
Blog text (22) -
If you want to engage in right speech, you need to think before you speak.
Blog text (10) -
Stop and think before you speak and turn down the volume on some of that anger.
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Think before you speak; that was an awful thing to suggest.
Blog text (4) -
In a heated discussion, it's wise to think before you speak to avoid saying something you might regret.
Synonyms
107
3.6
Carefully consider something before you act to avoid a mistake
105
3.2
To look at all the details and what may happen before you decide
39
8.1
To think about and plan something before doing it, often a harmful act
6
4.4
Pause and think clearly before you speak or decide
1
7.5
Be careful what you say to avoid offending someone
Antonyms
How Careful
3
4.1
- Informal
1
7.5
- Informal
4
3.5
- Informal
107
3.6
318
2.5
- Informal
42
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'think' (consider) + 'before' (prior to) + 'speak' (utter words) literally instructs someone to consider something prior to speaking. This imperative, compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English syntax, so a B1 learner who knows the words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Think before you speak gives a clear image: imagine closing your mouth and using think to check your words before you speak. That's why it means 'to consider the possible effects of your words before saying something'.