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.

In February 1891, the Washington representative of Baldy’s Baltimore-based company — one Robert E. Clarke, himself a former elocutionist — suddenly disappeared, leaving behind an empty safe.

From Washington Post • Mar. 26, 2022

In an effort to erase the stigma of non-R.P. speech, England’s original national elocutionist, Thomas Sheridan, urged all citizens to adopt the accent.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2021

And its finest men of letters – including Hume, Adam Smith and James Boswell – were so ashamed of their native tongue they hired an elocutionist to purge "Scotticisms" from their speech.

From The Guardian • Jun. 4, 2010

When Gay MacLaren was a little girl she decided to become an elocutionist after she heard a Chautauqua performer recite The Bobolink.

From Time Magazine Archive

All these selections are prizes for the long-suffering elocutionist who is expected to entertain his friends with something new, laughter-provoking, and fully up to the mark.

From The Wit of Women Fourth Edition by Sanborn, Kate