spokesman
Americannoun
-
a person who speaks for another or for a group.
-
a public speaker.
noun
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spokesman
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.
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.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state newspaper Izvestia that it was likely Putin would comment on it on Friday.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said some outlets accused Hegseth of mistaking Jackson’s Golden Globe-winning performance with actual scripture, and called that narrative “fake news.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani recently lauded the interception rate as "exceeding expectations".
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
Moscow has said it planned to stay out of the Iran conflict, and Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that “It’s not our war.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Spokesman Manuel de Moya expressed his outrage at the vicious and unfounded accusations of President R6mulo Betancourt of Venezuela.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
