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.

As Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, put it in a remarkably direct speech at Davos, the U.S.-led world order is a thing of the past; it has been ruptured.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

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

The researchers observed that cortical activity tracks energy changes related to direct speech, despite the strong interference of the echo.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

Belafonte never makes a direct speech about injustice.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2023

The wit of the man—his direct speech, and all of his beautiful indifference for the good opinion of those whom others follow after and lie in wait for—was sublime.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8 by Hubbard, Elbert

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