declaim

[ dih-kleym ]

verb (used without object)

1. to speak aloud in an oratorical manner; make a formal speech:

   Brutus declaimed from the steps of the Roman senate building.

2. to inveigh (usually followed by against ):

   He declaimed against the high rents in slums.

3. to speak or write for oratorical effect, as without sincerity or sound argument.

verb (used with object)

1. to utter aloud in an oratorical manner:

   to declaim a speech.

declaim

/ dɪˈkleɪm /

verb

1. to make (a speech, statement, etc) loudly and in a rhetorical manner
2. to speak lines from (a play, poem, etc) with studied eloquence; recite
3. intrfoll byagainst to protest (against) loudly and publicly

Derived Forms

• deˈclaimer, noun

Other Words From

• de·claimer noun
• unde·claimed adjective
• unde·claiming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of declaim¹

1350–1400; Middle English declamen < Latin dēclāmāre, equivalent to dē- de- + clāmāre to cry, shout; claim

Word History and Origins

Origin of declaim¹

C14: from Latin dēclāmāre, from clāmāre to call out

Example Sentences

It was demanded of psychologists that they declaim on all that screaming and its meaning.

From The Daily Beast

It's what is ongoing and visible, so it's the part that people get to judge and assess and gossip about and declaim on.

From The Daily Beast

The word Qur’ān means recitation, coming from the root q-r-‘, which means primarily to recite or declaim and then to read.

From The Daily Beast

Experts and negotiators will declaim over the bowl full of details in Obama's Thursday speech.

From The Daily Beast

Yes, dissent is patriotic, as liberals love to declaim, but assent is an important part of patriotism too.

From The Daily Beast

Their speeches were not so long, and they did not declaim so vehemently.

From Project Gutenberg

It was her hobby to declaim against the popular idea of the existence of the human spirit apart from the body.

From Project Gutenberg

He may as usefully declaim against friendship, comradeship, the love of man for woman or of mother for child.

From Project Gutenberg

Without this pivotal action, the reader is apt to declaim a monologue, and confuse it with a speech.

From Project Gutenberg

The same servant would declaim, with the quaintest, semi-tragical gestures, Pinens rle in Boris-Gudunov.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• recite