utterance
1 Americannoun
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an act of uttering; vocal expression.
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manner of speaking; power of speaking.
His very utterance was spellbinding.
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something uttered; a word or words uttered; a cry, animal's call, or the like.
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Linguistics. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence: it may be coextensive with a sentence.
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Obsolete. a public sale of goods.
noun
noun
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something uttered, such as a statement
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the act or power of uttering or the ability to utter
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logic philosophy an element of spoken language, esp a sentence Compare inscription
noun
Etymology
Origin of utterance1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at 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
Explanation
An utterance is a bit of spoken language. It could be anything from "Ugh!" to a full sentence. To utter means "to say." So when you're saying something, you're making utterances. Saying "24" in math class is an utterance. A police officer yelling "Stop!" is an utterance. Saying "Good boy!" to your dog is an utterance. Even a long speech by the President is an utterance. If you can't hear it, it's not an utterance.
Vocabulary lists containing utterance
Silas Marner
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Phase the first
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 4
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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.
After a period when oil prices—and therefore other assets—would respond to Trump’s every utterance, now the reaction is largely a shrug.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Some may regard Salah's public intervention and criticism as unwelcome and unnecessary, but many Liverpool supporters will also welcome his words as the utterance of uncomfortable truths Slot has to face.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
And you couldn’t swing a dead cat at CES without hitting an AI-powered gadget that promises to listen and interpret your every utterance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
Yet once divulged, her radiant inner life colors every utterance.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
The rapt air, the rhythmic utterance, the intent listeners—what was it they recalled?
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
