Dictionary.com

public speaking

SEE SYNONYMS FOR public speaking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of delivering speeches in public.
the art or skill of addressing an audience effectively.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Often it means something is impossible.
It’s another way to agree with someone.
It serves as an apology.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of public speaking

First recorded in 1755–65

Words nearby public speaking

public school, public sector, public servant, public service, public-service corporation, public speaking, public spending, public-spirited, public television, public transport, public utility
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to public speaking

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

Example sentences from the Web for public speaking

  • 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

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

    The Art Of The Moving Picture|Vachel Lindsay

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

    Up From Slavery: An Autobiography|Booker T. Washington

British Dictionary definitions for public speaking

public speaking

noun

the art or practice of making speeches to large audiences

Derived forms of public speaking

public 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