Jump To:

• speaker
  speaker

  noun

  a person who speaks.
• Speaker
  Speaker

  noun

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

speaker

¹ American  

[spee-ker] / ˈspi kər /

noun

speakers plural

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonspeaker
  noun
• speakership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• speakers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of speaker

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

Explanation

A speaker is someone who delivers a speech or a device that makes sounds louder. The speaker gave a great speech but you couldn't hear it because the speaker was turned off. Speaker has a few different meanings, from the person who addresses a group, to the piece of equipment that amplifies sound to someone who is fluent in a particular language. For example, a native Spanish speaker can usually tell if someone learned the language in high school because textbooks don't always include the slang and idioms of everyday speech.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

speaker Speaker speakers

Bovard later invited Akil back as a guest speaker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Throughout his career, he says he's sought interesting work and developed skills that helped him get to where he is now - writing books and being a well-paid public speaker.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

But when Jurado sarcastically introduced the next speaker — “Your favorite, Lineage, will now present!” — the joke fell flatter than a solar panel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Iran’s lead negotiator in the talks with the U.S., parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, quoted the clause in arguing on social media that Iran controls the strait.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

It is my first time trying out my newly learned words on a native speaker, and when she understands, it feels like magic.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

"This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved," Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau wrote on Facebook.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Last week, at an event in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson reminded the audience of one of John Quincy Adams’ favorite lines: “Duty is ours; results are God’s.”

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Long has called on Poots, now the Speaker in the Northern Ireland Assembly, to "provide a full account" of what he knew.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, the likely next Speaker, isn’t one of them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

House of Representatives, saying, “Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Henrietta Lacks.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

People were swarming vendors from eateries all around Koreatown, dance circles formed around speakers blasting banda music, and “oohs” and “ahhs” at every missed shot were in perfect sync.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

But it is also gaining traction with Chinese speakers in countries like Malaysia and Singapore -- and not just among young women.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Some players are native Dutch speakers from the north of the country, while some come from the French-speaking Wallonia region.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The crowd rallied around speakers, which included several U.S. representatives from the Houston area as well as residents and advocates, gripping signs that called for ICE to leave the state, some with Salgado Araujo’s face.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

The control room crew quickly pumped show tunes through all the speakers under the dome to cover the awkward silence.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein