loudspeaker

American  

[loud-spee-ker] / ˈlaʊdˌspi kər /

noun

1. any of various devices, usually electronic, by which speech, music, etc., can be intensified and made audible throughout a room, hall, or the like.

2. Audio.

   1. a device for transforming electric signals into audible sound, most frequently used to reproduce speech and music.

   2. speaker.

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loudspeaker British  

/ ˌlaʊdˈspiːkə /

noun

1. Also called: reproducer.  Sometimes shortened to: speaker.  a device for converting audio-frequency signals into the equivalent sound waves by means of a vibrating conical diaphragm

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Etymology

Origin of loudspeaker

First recorded in 1880–85; loud + speaker

Example Sentences

Imad al-Bahtimi plays Eid chants on a loudspeaker at his stall to help "attract children and spread joy among the people".

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

This technique records electrical activity between the inner ear and the brain using small electrodes placed on the animals while short bursts of sound are played through a small loudspeaker.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

“It’s really, really hard,” he said, as a worker called customer order numbers over the loudspeaker in Spanish and English.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Just across the street, Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” played over a loudspeaker as protesters gathered in front of the burned husk of the historic 1924 Business Block Building.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

They just had trouble getting to the loudspeaker through the throng of people on the bridge.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• bullhorn
• megaphone
• public address system