Definitions for speech
spitʃspeech

Princeton's WordNet(3.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. address, speech(noun)

   the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

   "he listened to an address on minor Roman poets"

2. speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, language, voice communication, oral communication(noun)

   (language) communication by word of mouth

   "his speech was garbled"; "he uttered harsh language"; "he recorded the spoken language of the streets"

3. speech(noun)

   something spoken

   "he could hear them uttering merry speeches"

4. speech(noun)

   the exchange of spoken words

   "they were perfectly comfortable together without speech"

5. manner of speaking, speech, delivery(noun)

   your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally

   "his manner of speaking was quite abrupt"; "her speech was barren of southernisms"; "I detected a slight accent in his speech"

6. lecture, speech, talking to(noun)

   a lengthy rebuke

   "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to"

7. actor's line, speech, words(noun)

   words making up the dialogue of a play

   "the actor forgot his speech"

8. language, speech(noun)

   the mental faculty or power of vocal communication

   "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. speech(Noun)

   The faculty of speech; the ability to speak or to use vocalizations to communicate.

   Etymology: From speche, from spæc, spræc, from sprēkijō, from spereg-. Cognate with spraak, Sprache, sprog. More at speak.

2. speech(Noun)

   A session of speaking; a long oral message given publicly usually by one person.

   The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech.

   Etymology: From speche, from spæc, spræc, from sprēkijō, from spereg-. Cognate with spraak, Sprache, sprog. More at speak.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Speech(noun)

   the faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking

2. Speech(noun)

   he act of speaking; that which is spoken; words, as expressing ideas; language; conversation

3. Speech(noun)

   a particular language, as distinct from others; a tongue; a dialect

4. Speech(noun)

   talk; mention; common saying

5. Speech(noun)

   formal discourse in public; oration; harangue

6. Speech(noun)

   ny declaration of thoughts

7. Speech

   to make a speech; to harangue

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Speech

   Speech is the vocalized form of human communication. It is based upon the syntactic combination of lexicals and names that are drawn from very large vocabularies. Each spoken word is created out of the phonetic combination of a limited set of vowel and consonant speech sound units. These vocabularies, the syntax which structures them, and their set of speech sound units differ, creating the existence of many thousands of different types of mutually unintelligible human languages. Most human speakers are able to communicate in two or more of them. The vocal abilities that enable humans to produce speech also provide humans with the ability to sing. A gestural form of human communication exists for the deaf in the form of sign language. Speech in some cultures has become the basis of a written language, often one that differs in its vocabulary, syntax and phonetics from its associated spoken one, a situation called diglossia. Speech in addition to its use in communication, it is suggested by some psychologists such as Vygotsky is internally used by mental processes to enhance and organize cognition in the form of an interior monologue.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Speech

   spēch, n. that which is spoken: language: the power of speaking: manner of speech, oration: any declaration of thoughts: mention: colloquy: conference.—ns. Speech′-craft, the science of language: the gift of speech; Speech′-crī′er, one who hawked the broadsides containing the dying speeches of persons executed, once common; Speech′-day, the public day at the close of a school year.—adj. Speech′ful, loquacious.—ns. Speechificā′tion, the act of making harangues; Speech′ifīer.—v.i. Speech′ify, to make speeches, harangue (implying contempt).—adj. Speech′less, destitute or deprived of the power of speech.—adv. Speech′lessly.—ns. Speech′lessness; Speech′-māk′er, one accustomed to speak in public; Speech′-māk′ing, a formal speaking before an assembly; Speech′-read′ing, the art of following spoken words by observing the speaker's lips, as taught to deaf-mutes. [A.S. spǽc, sprǽc; Ger. sprache.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Speech

   Communication through a system of conventional vocal symbols.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. speech

   The faculty or act of speaking.

   His speech and language developed at such a fast pace to his peers.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 12, 2020  

2. speech

   To express how we feel using words and language.

   They decided a wedding speech was not necessary as they chose for everyone to come to the wedding and enjoy themselves, have fun, feel the love and unity and dance the night away.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 9, 2020  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. speech

   Song lyrics by speech -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by speech on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'speech' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1308

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'speech' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2059

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'speech' in Nouns Frequency: #532

Anagrams for speech »

1. cheeps

How to pronounce speech?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say speech in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of speech in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of speech in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of speech in a Sentence

1. Jeb Bush:

   And the two other candidates that are likely to emerge in Iowa are two people that are backbenchers that have never done anything of consequence in their life, they're gifted beyond belief. They can give a great speech. But I think it's time for us to recognize that maybe what we need is someone who can lead.

2. Hope Hicks:

   Jared's only meeting with Ambassador Kislyak took place during the transition, as has been reported. He met hundreds of people on the campaign and may have shaken the Ambassador's hand prior to an April 2016 speech on foreign policy by the President.

3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

   My speech (to Congress) is not intended to show disrespect for President Obama and the office that he holds, i deeply appreciate all that President Obama has done for Israel.

4. Kirk Franklin:

   Not only did they edit my speech, they edited the African American experience.

5. Speaker Ryan:

   The president will have five or six straw men in the speech, I’m sure, and he’ll present a very glossy rendition of the last seven years.He’ll try to set some verbal traps along the way and it will be a very political and pointed speech, I would guess.

Images & Illustrations of speech

Popularity rank by frequency of use