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

The commissioners will also investigate complaints when those bodies fall short of services to Irish speakers.

Read more on BBC

Connolly is a fluent speaker and booster of the Irish language, which became a surprisingly important signifier in the race, as Humphreys “has no Irish,” to use the vernacular.

Read more on Salon

A fluent Japanese speaker, she was known as a local campaigner before she became involved in party politics.

Read more on BBC

The 84-year-old opposition figure and former parliament speaker had already been jailed in another case.

Read more on Barron's

State Sen. Scott Wiener is running to take Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, although the former House speaker has not yet announced if she will run for another term.

Read more on Los Angeles Times