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Synonyms

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.

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.

speaker 1 British  
/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

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

  2. See loudspeaker

"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
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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonspeaker noun
  • speakership noun

Etymology

Origin of speaker

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

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.

Many speeches and even tour-guide presentations start with a reminder that the soil on which the speaker and audience stand was once occupied only by indigenous people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"In five years, I haven't seen a single speaker," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

One speaker, Jose Garcia, urged the community to support the project because it will create jobs for construction workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and pretender to the throne, was a scheduled speaker, and the event was packed with Iranian monarchists.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

This, though, was to be a major broadcast; somehow we all felt it merited the large old set with its elaborate speaker.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.