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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.
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Origin of public speaking

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

Examples from the Web for public speaking

Historical Examples

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

    Up From Slavery: An Autobiography

    Booker T. Washington

  • 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
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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