speechnoun
uk/spiːtʃ/us/spiːtʃ/speech noun (SAY WORDS)
B1 [ U ] the ability to talk, the activity of talking, or a piece of spoken language:
Children usually develop speech in the second year of life.
People who suffer a stroke may experience a loss of speech.
[ U ] the way a person talks:
His speech was slurred and I thought he was drunk.
B1 [ U ] the language used when talking:
Some expressions are used more in speech than in writing.
[ C ] a set of words spoken in a play:
Do you know the words to Hamlet's famous speech at the beginning of Act III?
More examples
- She suffers from a speech defect.
- From her slow, deliberate speech I guessed she must be drunk.
- Freedom of speech and freedom of thought were both denied under the dictatorship.
- As a child, she had some speech problems.
- We use these aids to develop speech in small children.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Informal talking & conversation
- a problem shared is a problem halved idiom
- bants
- blarney
- chatter
- chew
- confab
- conversation-stopper
- exchange
- gas
- jaw
- make yourself understood idiom
- natter
- orally
- pass
- pillow talk
- shoptalk
- talk shop idiom
- understand
- vox pop
- wash your dirty linen in public idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Ways of speaking
Literature
speech noun (FORMAL TALK)
B2 [ C ] a formal talk given usually to a large number of people on a special occasion:
I had to give/make a speech at my brother's wedding.
The Governor of New York delivered a rousing speech to the national convention.
He gave the after-dinner speech (= a talk given after a formal evening meal at which a large number of people are present).
Did you hear her acceptance speech at the Oscars ceremony?
See also
speak
More examples
- Her speech was received with cheers and a standing ovation.
- She closed the meeting with a short speech.
- The vicar's forgetting his lines in the middle of the speech provided some good comedy.
- Her speech caused outrage among the gay community.
- She concluded the speech by reminding us of our responsibility.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Lecturing & addressing
- ad lib
- address
- angle
- extemporize
- filibuster
- floor
- hold
- hold forth
- jawbone
- lead 1
- lead off
- lecture
- maiden speech
- oration
- oratory
- sermonize
- speaking
- speechify
- talk
- talk at sb
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