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Synonyms

spokesman

American  
[spohks-muhn] / ˈspoʊks mən /

noun

plural

spokesmen

  1. a person who speaks for another or for a group.

  2. a public speaker.

spokesman British  
/ ˈspəʊksˌpɜːsən, ˈspəʊksmən, ˈspəʊksˌwʊmən /

noun

  1. a person authorized to speak on behalf of another person, group of people, or organization

"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

Gender

See -man.

Etymology

Origin of spokesman

1510–20; spoke 1 (irregular as noun) + 's 1 + -man

Explanation

A spokesman is a representative, someone who speaks for a group. The spokesman of your French club, for example, might announce the date of your bake sale during your school's morning announcements. You can use the noun spokesman whenever you're talking about an official speaker, a person who communicates information about a company, organization, or other group. It's most common to refer to a man in this position as a spokesman — a more inclusive term for males or females is spokesperson. Spokesman has been around since the 1500's, but spokesperson wasn't first used until the 1970's.

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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.

"The Secretary-General calls for coordinated international support to address the evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel and to meet urgent humanitarian needs," spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

His comments came after an Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said External link Friday there was no scheduled U.S.-Iran meeting, The Hill External link reported.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

He was there officially to send messages to the U.S. via Pakistan, his spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

An Amazon spokesman said that by the end of 2024, the company’s efforts had reduced carbon emissions per shipment by one-third from their 2019 levels.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

"Good. Now to your assignment: Tomorrow you are to become chief spokesman of the Harlem District . . ." "What!"

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

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.