speaker

¹

[spee-ker]

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.

Speaker

²

[spee-ker]

noun

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

speaker

¹

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

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

2. See loudspeaker

Speaker

²

/ 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

• speakership noun
• nonspeaker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of speaker¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be / not be on speakers, speaking.

Example Sentences

Mr Joell-Deshields is accused of using vouchers donated by a sponsor to purchase luxury fragrances as well as Apple speakers and headphones.

From BBC

He still had student loans when he was sworn into Congress and went viral a few years ago for baby-wearing his infant son on the House floor during a House speaker fight.

From Los Angeles Times

But as many African languages are mostly spoken rather than written down, there is a lack of text to train AI on to make it useful for speakers of those languages.

From BBC

Before all the speakers wrapped up, Stokes made an announcement to club members.

From Los Angeles Times

During the protest, crowds heard from a number of speakers who lambasted UK immigration policy, criticised the use of hotels to house asylum seekers and stated the gathering was not "far right".

From BBC