Definition of "bespeak" [be•speak]

• To be or give a sign of; indicate. See Synonyms at indicate. (verb-transitive)
• To engage, hire, or order in advance. See Synonyms at book. (verb-transitive)
• To request: bespeak a favor. (verb-transitive)
• To foretell; portend: fearful weapons that bespeak great loss of life. (verb-transitive)
• Archaic To speak to; address. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The public duties to which he was often called bespeak his ability, and the confidence reposed in him by the leading men of his day."
• "Ma’aruf was silent92 and did not again bespeak him till he reached the Desert Quarter and casting him down there, went away and left him in that horrible place. —"
• "Both titles bespeak what our nation claims to stand for in education: a passion for imparting knowledge to all our children, equity for all students 'performance, and dedication and commitment from instructors to the ideals of universal education across the country."