Synonyms

direct speech

British

noun

the reporting of what someone has said or written by quoting his exact words

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes said: "He made direct speech entertaining. With that he was ahead of his time. I'm just sorry he hasn't had more time."

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

This remained true even when participants were told to direct their attention toward a silent film and ignore the story, suggesting that top-down attention isn't required to mentally separate direct speech and its echo.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

Belafonte never makes a direct speech about injustice.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2023

McMaster described it as “an inspiring, yet direct, speech on the need to confront radical ideology and the president’s hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam to dominate across the world.”

From Washington Post • May 19, 2017

There are some men to whom one instinctively pays the compliment of direct speech.

From The Zeit-Geist by Dougall, Lily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023