tirade

American  

[tahy-reyd, tahy-reyd] / ˈtaɪ reɪd, taɪˈreɪd /

noun

1. a prolonged outburst of bitter, outspoken denunciation.

   a tirade against smoking.

2. a long, vehement speech.

   a tirade in the Senate.

   Synonyms:

   diatribe, harangue

3. a passage dealing with a single theme or idea, as in poetry.

   the stately tirades of Corneille.

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tirade British  

/ taɪˈreɪd /

noun

1. a long angry speech or denunciation

2. rare prosody a speech or passage dealing with a single theme

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Etymology

Origin of tirade

1795–1805; < French: literally, a stretch, (continuous) pulling < Italian tirata, noun use of feminine of tirato, past participle of tirare to draw, pull, fire (a shot), of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Sleepiness eventually came over all of them, and without needing to announce it, they all lay close to the fire, close to one another, and slumbered peacefully while the wind’s angry tirade lessened.

From Literature

A disheveled man sick of endless waiting launched into an eloquent tirade ending with Samuel Beckett -- "You know what happened in the story of Godot? He never came."

From Barron's

In the years since it aired, Banks’ infamous tirade, “I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!”

From Los Angeles Times

Pep Guardiola said his success at Manchester City has come in spite of refereeing decisions going against his side in a tirade following Saturday's 2-0 win over Wolves.

From Barron's

Paul stepped on the scales calmly before breaking into a brief, animated and somewhat confusing tirade.

From BBC

Related Words

• denunciation
• diatribe
• harangue
• invective
• ranting
• screed
• sermon