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Synonyms

utterance

1 American  
[uht-er-uhns] / ˈʌt ər əns /

noun

  1. an act of uttering; utter; uttering; vocal expression.

  2. manner of speaking; power of speaking.

    His very utterance was spellbinding.

  3. something uttered; utter; a word or words uttered; utter; a cry, animal's call, or the like.

  4. Linguistics. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence.

  5. Obsolete. a public sale of goods.

utterance 2 American  
[uht-er-uhns] / ˈʌt ər əns /

noun

Archaic.

  1. the utmost extremity, especially death.

utterance 1 British  
/ ˈʌtərəns /

noun

  1. something uttered, such as a statement

  2. the act or power of uttering or the ability to utter

  3. logic philosophy an element of spoken language, esp a sentence Compare inscription

"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
utterance 2 British  
/ ˈʌtərəns /

noun

  1. archaic the bitter end (esp in the phrase to the utterance )

"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

Etymology

Origin of utterance1

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; utter 1, -ance

Origin of utterance2

1350–1400; Middle English < Old French outrance, oultrance, equivalent to oultr ( er ) to pass beyond (< Latin ultrā beyond) + -ance -ance

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.

After almost 30 years in the Senate, his every invariably solemn utterance is beyond well known to me.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Their every utterance was akin to a 'is this all you've got?' message to their visitors.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

Haïm seemed to have one instruction for her ensemble chorus and her soloists, soprano Elsa Benoit and tenor Eric Ferring: Find, in every utterance, ever more happiness.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2025

How can an argument premised in equality be recast as an antisemitic utterance?

From Slate • Dec. 6, 2023

“I have never seen such an effect, physical and moral, produced by the utterance of one word,” marvels the Confederate major.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

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.