speech

noun

1
a
: the communication or expression of thoughts in spoken words
b
: exchange of spoken words : conversation
2
a
: something that is spoken : utterance
b
: a usually public discourse : address
3
b
: an individual manner or style of speaking
4
: the power of expressing or communicating thoughts by speaking

Examples of speech in a Sentence

She has to make a speech at the convention. a graduation speech about embracing future challenges I was so flustered that I momentarily lost the power of speech. Slang is used mostly in informal speech. Many words are more common in speech than in writing.
Recent Examples on the Web The Boss Baby actor went on stage, read the lengthy post, and closed his speech with a question that caused the room to erupt with laughter. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Everett recognizes that American slavery’s true history is not revealed in the movements of great armies or the speeches of politicians. Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 In his prepared speech accepting the 2024 Academy Award for best international film, Glazer thanked his partners on The Zone of Interest, a haunting film about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, and then made a statement addressing both his work and a reference to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 Murphy made one of the night’s most effective speeches, calling himself a proud Irishman. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 They were introduced with a moving speech by Elton John’s longtime songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin. Thania Garcia, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 In the ensuing years, the writer who once prided himself on telling the truth has increasingly toed the party line in public speeches. Nectar Gan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 More broadly, the president’s speech should lower the volume on calls for Biden to step aside. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Her father, Richard, was the orchestra and marching band director at the University of Mississippi, and her mother, Frances, taught speech and drama at a junior college. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English speche, from Old English sprǣc, spǣc; akin to Old English sprecan to speak — more at speak

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of speech was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near speech

Cite this Entry

“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speech. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

speech

noun
1
: the communication or expression of thoughts in spoken words
2
a
: something that is spoken
b
: a public talk
3
: a form of communication (as a language or dialect) used by a particular group
4
: the power of expressing or communicating thoughts by speaking

Medical Definition

speech

noun
: the communication or expression of thoughts in spoken words

Legal Definition

speech

noun
: words or conduct used to communicate or express a thought : expression see also commercial speech, freedom of speech, free speech, obscene, symbolic speech

More from Merriam-Webster on speech

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