What does "speech" mean?
The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate.
Speech
/spiːt͡ʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate.
- Grammar: speech is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: address, delivery, lecture, accent.
- Useful contrasts: expressive movement, longest silence, profound silence.
- Usage evidence: What if you gave a speech and nobody came?
How to use "speech"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "speech" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "speech" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "speech" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "speech" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "speech" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "address" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "speech", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate. uncountable
"He had a bad speech impediment."
- 2 the mental faculty or power of vocal communication wordnet
- 3 The act of speaking, a certain style of it. uncountable
"It was hard to hear his speech over the noise."
- 4 a lengthy rebuke wordnet
- 5 A formal session of speaking, especially a long oral message given publicly by one person. countable
"The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 words making up the dialogue of a play wordnet
- 7 A dialect, vernacular, or (dated) a language. countable
"For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel."
- 8 your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally wordnet
- 9 Language used orally, rather than in writing. uncountable
"This word is mostly used in speech."
- 10 (language) communication by word of mouth wordnet
- 11 An utterance that is quoted; see direct speech, reported speech countable, uncountable
- 12 the exchange of spoken words wordnet
- 13 Public talk, news, gossip, rumour. uncountable
"The duke[…]did of me demand / What was the speech among the Londoners / Concerning the French journey."
- 14 something spoken wordnet
- 15 the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make a speech; to harangue. intransitive, transitive
"I'll speech against peace while Dismal's my name, / And be a true whig, while I'm Not-in-game."
Antonyms
expressive movementlongest silenceprofound silencewritten languages
Example
"What if you gave a speech and nobody came?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "speech"?
Common synonyms include: address, delivery, lecture, accent, actor's line, address.
How do you use "speech" in a sentence?
What if you gave a speech and nobody came?
How do you pronounce "speech"?
Pronounced /spiːt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English speche, from Old English spǣċ, sprǣċ (“speech, discourse, language”), from Proto-West Germanic *sprāku (“speech, language”), from Proto-Indo-European *spereg-, *spreg- (“to make a sound”). Cognate with Dutch spraak (“speech”), German Sprache (“language, speech”). More at speak.