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definitions

public speaking

See more synonyms for public speaking on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of delivering speeches in public.
  2. the art or skill of addressing an audience effectively.

Origin of public speaking

First recorded in 1755–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for public speaking

declamation, elocution, oratory, rhetoric, speaking, tub-thumping

Examples from the Web for public speaking

Historical Examples of public speaking

  • This was, in a sense, the beginning of my public-speaking career.

  • The public-speaking American wrote the Declaration of Independence.

  • If public-speaking means to you a fuller life, you will know no greater happiness than a well-spoken speech.

    The Art of Public Speaking

    Dale Carnagey (AKA Dale Carnegie) and J. Berg Esenwein

  • The head tone is the voice of ordinary conversation and should form the basis of the public-speaking style.

    Talks on Talking

    Grenville Kleiser

British Dictionary definitions for public speaking

public speaking

noun
  1. the art or practice of making speeches to large audiences
Derived Formspublic speaker, noun
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