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

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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 No clear catalyst One reason the surge in oil futures trading is arousing suspicion is that no market-moving announcements were slated for Monday morning, such as government economic releases or speeches from Federal Reserve officials. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026 The DoD, meanwhile, rejected Anthropic’s arguments that its refusal was a free-speech issue, and said its decision was based on national security, not punishment for the company’s views. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026 After receiving mixed messages from Gorrín, Rivera arranged for Rubio to deliver a speech promoting the plan for a peaceful transition of power on Gorrín’s TV station, Globovision, in Caracas. Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026 During the third stage of testing, the video then shows Neuralink’s software detecting Shock’s speech, without any mouth movement at all. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for speech
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speech
Noun
  • Native Americans were edited and curated out—of the camera frame, at the editorial desk, on the illustrator’s pad, and on the lecture circuit.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The first hour of each class will be lecture followed by an hour of supervised play of the hands.
    Kris Slugg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Fifty languages are spoken by a dozen ethnic groups, which include my tribe, the Ogoni, the Ijaw (the delta’s largest ethnic group), as well as the Ilaje, Ibibio, Andoni, Itsekiri, and Urhobo peoples.
    Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
  • His presence is especially visible around the March 31 César Chávez Day, with the state Department of Education offering extensive lesson plans, biographies in multiple languages, and service-learning activities.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But the proposal was full of cartoonishly goofy faux spy talk.
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war, arriving Sunday for a two-day visit.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The fact that the same software enabled such a range of idiosyncratic styles decisively undermines any claim of a causal relationship between Gehry’s digital tools and his formal vocabulary.
    Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Ehrlich’s contributions to that vocabulary proved far more durable than his predictions.
    Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Users have to verify their phone number and email address to make an account on the app, which also asks for a date of birth, picture and short bio of the user when setting up an account.
    Mary Ramsey March 25, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Authorities searched two addresses believed to be where each man was staying.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.
    Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The sediment close to their roots can be as sweet as fruit nectars or tree sap, although to human tongues the mud tastes overwhelmingly of salt and decay.
    David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • And Edward Norton tried to see McKellen’s poetry and raise him an even more on-the-nose piece of oration.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Jackson said King was in no mood to speak the night of April 3, but found the energy to give what turned out to be his last oration.
    Jim Williams, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Human communication with honeyguides in northern Mozambique occurs in local dialects.
    Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The gambit that Shelley somehow comes to possess her fictional creation is sustained, as Ida alternates between a very American dialect and a more high-toned British accent.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026

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“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

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