talks

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of talk.

   The professor talks faster whenever he gets excited about a topic.

   Whenever the phone rings, she talks for an hour at least.

   Note

   The -s form belongs to a single subject: the witness talks, but the witnesses talk. Every meaning of the verb uses it. That includes the slang one of confessing and naming others, as in 'if he talks, we're all finished.' It also includes the use with a language as object, as in 'she talks French at home.' Context, not form, tells you which meaning is in play.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of talk.

   The two governments resumed trade talks after months of silence.

   The conference featured a dozen talks on marine biology.

   Note

   A plural that keeps only some of the singular's meanings. Conversations, discussions and lectures can be counted, so they pluralize: trade talks, a series of talks on poetry. Gossip cannot. Talk meaning rumor is uncountable, so 'there was talk about him' means people were gossiping, while 'there were talks about him' means meetings were held. The same spelling is also the present-tense verb, as in 'she talks quietly.'

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