peroration
Americannoun
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a long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language.
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Rhetoric. the concluding part of a speech or discourse, in which the speaker or writer recapitulates the principal points and urges them with greater earnestness and force.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of peroration
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin perōrātiōn- (stem of perōrātiō ) the closing of a speech. See perorate, -ion
Explanation
If you attend a political convention, be prepared to hear a peroration — a long, lofty speech. If the speech really drags on, you might find yourself hoping for its peroration, as peroration can also refer to a speech's conclusion. Peroration comes from the Latin root orare, meaning "to speak." This ancestry places peroration in the same word family as oration, meaning "a formal speech," and perorate, meaning "to speak at length." A peroration is usually a step above your run-of-the-mill speech, or even a typical oration, as it involves an extended spoken spectacle filled with elaborate and persuasive language.
Vocabulary lists containing peroration
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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.
Before Churchill told the British in his celebrated peroration that "we shall never surrender," he had not spared them from the truth that they had suffered a "colossal military disaster".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
Frank came to the stage with a detailed two-page peroration and zero intention of editing what he had to say.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2021
Unable to resist a quotable peroration, Gorsuch saved the best for last.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2021
But as Mr. Gaines delivered a speech that echoes Joyce’s beautiful peroration, I remained detached.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2016
By the time Cicero reaches his peroration, he has asked something in the order of fifty questions to Catiline—each designed to make his failure to go into voluntary banishment look bizarre and unnatural.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
