speech

noun

ˈspēch How to pronounce speech (audio)
Definition of speechnext
1
as in lecture
a usually formal discourse delivered to an audience the guest of honor gave a short speech in appreciation of the award

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication wanting to develop a writing system for his people, Sequoya created a system of 86 symbols representing all the syllables of Cherokee speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of speech The district is investigating the teachers The district reviewed security tapes from the speech to identify teachers who walked out. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Minutes into the speech, Santos tweeted that he was delayed en route to the event and never showed his face. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Following his Summer Simcha speech, El-Sayed stayed to speak with a long line of Jews who came up to share their concerns. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026 One photo showed Trent Green making a speech alongside his wife, Julie Green. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for speech
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speech
  1. lecture
  2. language
  3. talk
  4. vocabulary
  5. address
  6. tongue
  7. oration
  8. dialect
Noun
  • One theoretical reason, Flanigan said, is that taking notes by hand creates a more meaningful and deeply processed record of information from a class lecture or meeting.
    — Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • There are two scenes in particular where Tucker is in the background as Joe digs into these guys in the hotel room and at the college lecture.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of lecture
Noun
  • From a consideration of apoptosis—the orderly elimination of damaged or unnecessary cells—Solé moves on to failing machines, eroded memories, vanished languages, brittle digital archives, and more.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • High-needs students — defined as those receiving free or reduced price meals, English language learners and students with disabilities — also performed about 10 points below the overall student body in each category.
    — Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • Former mayor Harry Sidhu went to prison on corruption charges, and the two parties never re-engaged on talks.
    — Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • TickTalkie™ adds instant push-to-talk communication over LTE, with support for watch-to-watch, multi-user, and multi-channel conversations.
    — Jon Stojan, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of talk
Noun
  • Kitchen grandmacore could show up in that vocabulary within a year.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Lowenstein told me that the evolving maps have drained the meaning from those Obama-era debates about the viability of a Palestinian state, forcing a revision of the vocabulary that American politicians use to talk about the conflict.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • Along with the brilliant Sangare, the signing of El Hadji Malick Diouf at left-back addresses a problem area for them.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Hetzner Online reclaimed the address space 12 hours after the hijacking started by announcing the correct path.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of address
Noun
  • And researchers have also identified disparities in diagnoses, with a recent study indicating men were more likely than women to be diagnosed at a later stage for 20 types of cancer — including stomach, lung, tongue and some throat cancers.
    — Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026
  • According to the listing, the interior has wood floors, tongue-and-groove knotty pine accents, granite countertops, Lutron lighting controls and two gas fireplaces.
    — Brendel Clark, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • Afterward, the orations turned to internal divisions, particularly those related to slavery.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2026
  • The greatest of all Fourth of July orations was delivered in 1852, on the 76th anniversary of American independence, by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Definition of oration
Noun
  • Owner and chef Stefania Marchesini, who fished professionally herself for 11 years, pays a premium to local fishermen, especially for soft-shell crabs known in the local dialect as moeche.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • What used to be two entirely separate compliance projects is starting to look like two dialects of the same emerging language.
    — Abdelahhad Barbour, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of dialect

Phrases Containing speech

Browse Nearby Words

sped (up)
speech
speeches
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Cite this Entry

“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on speech

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speech

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