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• speaker
  speaker

  noun

  a person who speaks.
• Speaker
  Speaker

  noun

  Tris(tram E.), 1888–1958, U.S. baseball player.

speaker

¹ American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

• speakers
  plural

1. a person who speaks.

2. a person who speaks formally before an audience; lecturer; orator.

3. (usually initial capital letter) the presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, the British House of Commons, or other such legislative assembly.

4. Also called loudspeaker.  an electroacoustic device, often housed in a cabinet, that is connected as a component in an audio system, its function being to make speech or music audible.

5. a book of selections for practice in declamation.

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idioms

1. be / not be on speakers, speaking.

Speaker ² American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

1. Tris(tram E.), 1888–1958, U.S. baseball player.

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speaker ¹ British  

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. a person who speaks, esp at a formal occasion

2. See loudspeaker

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Speaker ² British  

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. the presiding officer in any of numerous legislative bodies, including the House of Commons in Britain and Canada and the House of Representatives in the US, Australia, and New Zealand

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonspeaker
  noun
• speakership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• speakers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of speaker

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at speak, -er ¹

Explanation

A speaker is someone who delivers a speech or a device that makes sounds louder. The speaker gave a great speech but you couldn't hear it because the speaker was turned off. Speaker has a few different meanings, from the person who addresses a group, to the piece of equipment that amplifies sound to someone who is fluent in a particular language. For example, a native Spanish speaker can usually tell if someone learned the language in high school because textbooks don't always include the slang and idioms of everyday speech.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

speaker Speaker speakers

He was the last speaker of the three-hour event, and thunder had been audible outside for over an hour.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

The country’s president and its parliamentary speaker say Tehran needs to negotiate an exit and shore up its economy while it has leverage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Lindell lost by 11 points to the Minnesota house speaker, Lisa Demuth, but did not graciously concede.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visited Iraq, saying the trip was "aimed at strengthening the new order in the region" and boosting cooperation "without foreign interference".

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

I watch how Keira makes sure to look up as she reads from her paper and takes deep breaths between sentences like an expert speaker, and I make a mental note to try that.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

House Speaker Dustin Burrows also has not publicly commented.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Alexander Köpeczi and Le Bu showed off weighty low notes as Sarastro and the Speaker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Asked about the allegations against Miller, House Speaker Mike Johnson told the press, “The key word there is ‘allegation.’

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Speaker Mike Johnson and other senior House Republicans have largely avoided commenting, while Ohio congressmen Jim Jordan and Mike Turner described the accusations as a private or judicial matter.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Seth Walker, Speaker of the House and a dedicated anti, gaveled the meeting to order.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

“I’ll sit in my room like this,” Dean continues, leaning her head forward as if it’s resting on a desk between a pair of imaginary speakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

At the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in June, Mr. Shuvalov pushed back against hawkish speakers who advocated putting the country on a war footing with state management of the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

In the fall of 2023, district officials asked schools for an inventory of specific titles public speakers had complained about at board meetings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The central London vigil was organised by the group Stand Up to Racism, and several speakers paying tribute to Arday complained about his treatment by the media.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

A jolt ran through her, and her senses buzzed, like she was standing against the auditorium speakers.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny