spokesman
Americannoun
-
spokesmen
plural
-
a person who speaks for another or for a group.
-
a public speaker.
noun
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spokesman
Explanation
A spokesman is a representative, someone who speaks for a group. The spokesman of your French club, for example, might announce the date of your bake sale during your school's morning announcements. You can use the noun spokesman whenever you're talking about an official speaker, a person who communicates information about a company, organization, or other group. It's most common to refer to a man in this position as a spokesman — a more inclusive term for males or females is spokesperson. Spokesman has been around since the 1500's, but spokesperson wasn't first used until the 1970's.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mr. Sununu declined to be interviewed; his spokesman said the campaign “has made a concerted effort to keep the race focused on New Hampshire and state issues and has subsequently declined most national requests.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Las Vegas has taken an aggressive approach and reduced the metro region’s water use by 40% since 2002, even as its population doubled, according to a spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"His transfer from one low-security facility to another is an important distinction," Combs' spokesman told the BBC, adding that the move "is consistent with a decision made with safety and security in mind".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Last year, we had over 1,300 seizures nationwide involving more than 56,600 protected animals and plants or products made from them," the Customs spokesman said.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The authorities asked us to nominate a spokesman to express our grievances, and I was chosen.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Saudi and Iranian government spokesmen didn’t respond to requests for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to the Gulf states, though Qatari spokesmen say the attacks haven’t stopped, suggesting a rift within Iran’s possibly faltering leadership.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
In early March, the M23 announced the death of one of its spokesmen, Willy Ngoma, in a drone strike near the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
Taliban spokesmen deny her detention is related to her work as a journalist, according to local media.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
Meanwhile, clergymen, college presidents, and other self-appointed spokesmen for communal standards of morality seized upon the Burr-Hamilton encounter to launch a crusade against dueling throughout most of the northern states.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
