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

He gradually awakens to the need to fight Saruman, declaiming phrases of weary resolution like “Let them come” and “So it begins.”

From New York Times

As interviewees chatter and declaim, Macdonald regularly cuts to runway imagery, which is certainly more enjoyable than enduring Galliano’s prejudices.

From New York Times

Yet, as Izzard darts around the stage, from role to role, hopscotching in and out of the audience declaiming speeches, what becomes clear is this frenetic staging is earnest, surprisingly traditional and deadly serious.

From New York Times

Filled with men and women with furrowed brows, running and declaiming and sometimes explosively blowing their tops, the movie yearns to be a 1970s-style American thriller but is basically just a vehicle for Huppert’s talents.

From New York Times

“Oh Allah make it easy for them to reach there, and bless us with the death of a martyr,” he declaimed, his voice reverberating through the mosque’s loudspeakers.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• recite