1
as in talk
a usually formal discourse delivered to an audience
the guest of honor gave a short speech in appreciation of the award
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2
as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
wanting to develop a writing system for his people, Sequoya created a system of 86 symbols representing all the syllables of Cherokee speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples of speech in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The permissiveness of college administrators in their tolerance for intolerance against free speech on campus has degraded free-speech protections dramatically.
—
Tyson Langhofer, National Review, 21 Oct. 2024
Tom Morello, who gave a fiery speech inducting the MC5, reiterated something he’s said many times, that Iron Maiden should be in the Rock Hall.
—Annie Zaleski, Variety, 20 Oct. 2024
The scoreless first half against the league’s most porous defense triggered a harsh halftime speech from LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, whose team had one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
Long-time Trump watchers said the tone of his speeches is part of strategy to attract the pivotal swing voters who are likely to determine the election in November.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for speech 
Tyson Langhofer, National Review, 21 Oct. 2024
Tom Morello, who gave a fiery speech inducting the MC5, reiterated something he’s said many times, that Iron Maiden should be in the Rock Hall.
—Annie Zaleski, Variety, 20 Oct. 2024
The scoreless first half against the league’s most porous defense triggered a harsh halftime speech from LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, whose team had one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
Long-time Trump watchers said the tone of his speeches is part of strategy to attract the pivotal swing voters who are likely to determine the election in November.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for speech
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Speech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speech. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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