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 venue was the setting for a Howard University graduation speech by President Biden, and a book tour event by former first lady Michelle Obama. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026 The city’s post came shortly after Butker delivered a commencement speech on May 14, 2024, at Benedictine College. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026 Next week’s economic data flow is also light, but there’s lots of Fed officials giving speeches. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 In case of what need not be spelled out when the series opens with a shocking tableau of gay bar owner Leo Struthers (Alan Cumming), the recipient of Melba’s speech, hanging by his neck from a streetlight outside his Manchester home. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 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
  • See also, Serra, lecture delivered at the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA, April 16, 1988.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • John Rogers is seen presenting a lecture in a photo that Hummin Lee emailed to Rogers on May 26, 2017.
    — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of lecture
Noun
  • The administration’s language would establish a range of mandatory minimum sentences based on the amount of loss involved in fraud schemes, according to the document.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In 2025, the first chime of bells from a mountain pavilion at dawn, accompanied by a gentle morning greeting, creates a space where each collection is experienced independently and explores the versatile expressions of Songmont’s design language.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of language
Noun
  • The meeting came as indirect talks between Washington and Tehran have yet to yield meaningful progress.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The mathematician Ken Ono, who left academia for an AI start-up called Axiom Math, was scheduled to give a talk.
    — Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of talk
Noun
  • The title comes from a phrase that became part of his creative vocabulary and began appearing in sketches whenever an absurd situation called for a perfectly incredulous response.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Under Quotidien’s famously flattering lights, Bieber’s signature beauty vocabulary came into particularly sharp focus.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • In her 2023 tax documentation, according to the audit report, this manager listed a Tennessee address as her home residence.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators tracked down the suspect after finding the email address linked to his X account and IP addresses associated with a residence in Grand Blanc.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of address
Noun
  • The President of the United States (John Goodman) and his cabinet of hawkish generals, gargoyle-ish officials, and speaking-in-tongues spiritual advisors gather at the oilman’s house to discuss next steps.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His tongue tended to home in on the pocket behind his upper right incisors.
    — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • The grieving sibling held nothing back in his fiery funeral oration.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Afterward, the orations turned to internal divisions, particularly those related to slavery.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2026
Definition of oration
Noun
  • Documenting many varieties is a way to not just share the language, but to illustrate how dialects of Pennsylvania Dutch differ and maybe even fill in each other’s gaps.
    — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Italy is a unique country where every city has its own identity, architecture, traditions, flavors, dialects and even different ways of life.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about speech

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