speaker

¹ American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

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

• nonspeaker noun
• speakership noun

Etymology

Origin of speaker

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

Example Sentences

Since his trip to Roatán in 2022, Scott has become a familiar speaker at conferences and flies to events across the world to discuss his journey into longevity treatments.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Also over the weekend, Iran's parliament speaker warned that his country's forces were "waiting for American soldiers" as a further 3,500 US troops arrived in the Middle East.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Many speeches and even tour-guide presentations start with a reminder that the soil on which the speaker and audience stand was once occupied only by indigenous people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"In five years, I haven't seen a single speaker," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

But he’d secretly have his cell phone set on speaker phone in his lap, and he’d call Katherine, who’d be hiding out in the magazine section.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix