speech

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 According to The New York Times, as of October 23, her speech had been viewed more than 175,000 times. Jane Sadowsky, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025 Senate Republicans huddled on Friday afternoon after Schumer’s floor speech but seemed to see no immediate path forward. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025 Mamdani did make some nods to boosting bureaucratic efficiency and improving public safety, but populists always pepper their speeches with promises that almost everyone can support. Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025 Meanwhile, Chappell Roan won for best new artist and gave a headline-making speech. Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for speech
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speech
Noun
  • Chapter Five is actually just a lecture that somebody gives—somebody who turns out to be the protagonist, Tunde.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • But at a lecture in Tel Aviv, Israel, about 25 years ago, the audience’s response took Lack by surprise.
    Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In a similar vein, Timnit Gebru, a computer scientist writing during her time working at Google, warned of the dangers of large language models acting as stochastic parrots, which repeat language patterns without understanding, and in doing so replicate the biases embedded in their training data.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The dust-up stems back to the Spanish singer’s recent appearance on the New York Times’ Popcast, where she was asked about singing in about 13 different languages one her new album Lux and the challenges of communicating with a global audience.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The van reaches home ground and no one talks and the only sound along that final stretch is El Camello slapping himself to scare away mosquitoes.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Senators are engaging in behind-the-scenes talks to reopen the government.
    Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Americans argued fiercely about whether to intervene abroad, but largely shared the same moral vocabulary.
    Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Regular reading leads to positive impacts on your mental and emotional well-being, including slowing down cognitive decline, bolstering empathy and curiosity, improving your vocabulary and reducing stress.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • How to watch Newsom will deliver his final State of the State address inside the California State Capitol on Thursday.
    Steve Large, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Newsom is expected to unveil key priorities for his final year Thursday morning in a State of the State address before lawmakers.
    Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Heather is accused of hiding behind her humor, Lisa of hiding behind materialistic things, and Angie of hiding behind her sharp tongue, for example.
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
  • After turning the lock with his teeth and tongue, Dawson pushes open the front door and walks out into the night.
    Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Though Garfield is attending the RNC reluctantly to give a speech in support of his friend, Congressman James Blaine (Bradley Whitford), for the presidency, his rousing oration inadvertently earns him the nomination.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
  • His orations of statistics, stories, and argumentative persuasion at colleges were energetic, frictious, and necessary to unshackle us from grievance and tribalism.
    Alex Rosado, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Many rank-and-file enlistees were also recent immigrants, and patriot regiments hummed with a cacophony of different tongues, accents, and dialects throughout the war.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • To embody the Like a Rolling Stone singer, the actor trained extensively, including five years of preparation, to learn to sing as well as play guitar and harmonica, and to work with dialect and movement coaches to make his performance feel authentic.
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.

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