speaker

¹

[ spee-ker ]

noun

1. a person who speaks.
2. a person who speaks formally before an audience; lecturer; orator.
3. (usually initial capital letter) the presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, the British House of Commons, or other such legislative assembly.
4. Also called loudspeaker. an electroacoustic device, often housed in a cabinet, that is connected as a component in an audio system, its function being to make speech or music audible.
5. a book of selections for practice in declamation.

Speaker

²

[ spee-ker ]

noun

1. Tris(tram E.), 1888–1958, U.S. baseball player.

speaker

¹

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. a person who speaks, esp at a formal occasion
2. See loudspeaker

Speaker

²

/ ˈspiːkə /

noun

1. the presiding officer in any of numerous legislative bodies, including the House of Commons in Britain and Canada and the House of Representatives in the US, Australia, and New Zealand

Derived Forms

• ˈspeakership, noun

Other Words From

• speaker·ship noun
• non·speaker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of speaker¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; speak, -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. be / not be on speakers, British. speaking ( defs 9, 10 ).

Example Sentences

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the conservative anchor was a "tireless advocate for America’s soldiers and veterans".

From BBC

The firebrand Florida politician is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year.

From BBC

Despite the seeming resistance to his nomination, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shared that Gaetz has already tendered his resignation from the House.

From Salon

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said some of the incidents seen during the July campaign were "clearly unacceptable".

From BBC

An event was also held at Westminster, attended by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

From BBC