orator
Americannoun
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a person who delivers an oration; a public speaker, especially one of great eloquence.
Demosthenes was one of the great orators of ancient Greece.
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Law. a plaintiff in a case in a court of equity.
noun
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a public speaker, esp one versed in rhetoric
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a person given to lengthy or pompous speeches
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obsolete the claimant in a cause of action in chancery
Other Word Forms
- oratorlike adjective
- oratorship noun
Etymology
Origin of orator
1325–75; < Latin ōrātor speaker, suppliant, equivalent to ōrā ( re ) ( oration ) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English oratour < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
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.
Handsome and dynamic, an orator with a flair for memorable rhyme, the Rev. Jesse Jackson was the first Black candidate for president to attract a major following.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026
A gifted orator, Jackson articulated the frustrations of those who felt like second-class citizens in the world's most prosperous democracy.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech exemplified his prowess as an orator.
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
A firsthand account by an escaped slave who became a famous abolitionist and orator, this memoir reframed slavery as coerced labor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
The Roman orator Cicero considered her both rude and offensive.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions 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.
