public speaking
Americannoun
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the act of delivering speeches in public.
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the art or skill of addressing an audience effectively.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of public speaking
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
If you enjoy presenting, but are often assigned written reports, make it clear that one of your strengths is public speaking and that you’d like to do it more.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Here was the Founders’ model in miniature: classical knowledge, truth and beauty, memorization and public speaking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
If you're in a job where public speaking is part of what you do, it can be particularly terrifying.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2025
Perhaps these qualities also prepared her to weather the slings and arrows of international NGO leadership and public speaking.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2025
In my mind I eliminated any job that might involve public speaking.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
