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

On Tuesday, speakers from labor unions were among those urging the City Council to vote down the 45-day moratorium.

From Los Angeles Times

At Pheu Thai rallies, he added, speakers urge the crowd to roar so that Thaksin "could hear your cheers from jail".

From Barron's

"Cornish speakers can understand some of the Welsh because some of the words are similar," Jenkin added.

From BBC

He has submitted an urgent oral question to the Stormont speakers office to discuss the situation on Monday.

From BBC

Hours before the news conference, numerous speakers showed up to the commission’s meeting to demand that the federal agent responsible be arrested.

From Los Angeles Times