speaker

¹ American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

1. a person who speaks.

2. a person who speaks formally before an audience; lecturer; orator.

3. (usually initial capital letter) the presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, the British House of Commons, or other such legislative assembly.

4. Also called loudspeaker.  an electroacoustic device, often housed in a cabinet, that is connected as a component in an audio system, its function being to make speech or music audible.

5. a book of selections for practice in declamation.

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idioms

1. be / not be on speakers, speaking.

Speaker ² American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

1. Tris(tram E.), 1888–1958, U.S. baseball player.

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speaker ¹ British  

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. a person who speaks, esp at a formal occasion

2. See loudspeaker

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Speaker ² British  

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. the presiding officer in any of numerous legislative bodies, including the House of Commons in Britain and Canada and the House of Representatives in the US, Australia, and New Zealand

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Other Word Forms

• nonspeaker noun
• speakership noun

Etymology

Origin of speaker

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; speak, -er ¹

Example Sentences

He then worked in the media and as a mentor and motivational speaker.

From BBC

Morgan replied that there was a "responsibility" on leaders to reach Welsh speakers.

From BBC

It featured speakers from Google, Disney, and Boston Dynamics, as well as products from California startups such as Weave Robotics, Dyna Robotics and Psyonic.

From Los Angeles Times

It projects great image quality, comfortable, reclining leather seats and best-in-class speakers.

From The Wall Street Journal

“People who walk around with their telephone on speaker mode, loudly having public conversations,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal