speech
[noun]
Synonyms:
- communication, conversation, dialogue, discussion, talk
- talk, address, discourse, homily, lecture, oration, spiel (informal)
- language, articulation, dialect, diction, enunciation, idiom, jargon, parlance, tongue

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Related Idioms: oral communication, vocal expression
Related Words: articulation, uttering, vocalization, vocalizing, voice, voicing, expressing, expression, language, debate, parlance, parley, declamation, harangue, oration, speechification

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English Thesaurus: speech, address, talk, lecture, presentation, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

speech S2 W2 /spiːtʃ/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: unspeakable, speechless, outspoken, spoken ≠ unspoken; noun: speaker, speech; verb: speak; adverb: unspeakably]
[Language: Old English; Origin: spræc, spæc]

1. [countable] a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people
make/give/deliver a speech
Each child had to give a short speech to the rest of the class.
He has to make a lot of after-dinner speeches.
speech on/about
a major speech on relations with China
Collins gave the keynote speech (=most important speech).

2. [uncountable] the ability to speak:
Only humans are capable of speech.

3. [uncountable] spoken language rather than written language:
In speech we use a smaller vocabulary than in writing.

4. [uncountable] the particular way in which someone speaks:
Bob’s speech was slurred, and he sounded drunk.

5. [countable] a set of lines that an actor must say in a play:
Hamlet’s longest speech
⇒ direct speech, figure of speech, indirect speech, part of speech, reported speech, ⇒ speech bubble at bubble¹(4), ⇒ freedom of speech at freedom(1)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

speech
noun
I. speaking
ADJ. careful, clear, clipped | casual | impaired | slurred She could tell by his slurred speech that he had been drinking.
connected, continuous, fluent | natural, normal, ordinary | spontaneous | direct | indirect, reported | free The demonstrators were demanding rights of assembly and free speech.
conversational, everyday | children's, female, human, etc. | middle-class, working-class, etc.
VERB + SPEECH have Most people have speech, but significantly fewer have writing.
SPEECH + NOUN act | style | defect, impairment, impediment | therapist, therapy | community phonological variation in a speech community
PREP. in ~ Certain grammatical rules must be followed when describing a conversation in reported speech.
PHRASES a figure of speech When we talk about ‘selfish’ genes it is just a figure of speech.
freedom of speech the right of/to freedom of speech
the power of speech He temporarily lost the power of speech after the accident.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speech
II. formal talk
ADJ. brief, little, short | interminable, long, long-winded, rambling | keynote, major | eloquent, excellent, good | emotional, impassioned, rousing, stirring | boring | impromptu | public | televised | political | opening | closing | acceptance, after-dinner, Budget, campaign, conference, farewell, inaugural The prizewinner gave an emotional acceptance speech. the Chancellor's Budget speech
maiden her maiden speech in the House of Commons
VERB + SPEECH deliver, give, make | broadcast His speech was broadcast on national radio.
write
PREP. in a/the ~ | ~ about/on She made a stirring campaign speech on improving the lot of the unemployed.
~ to In her speech to the House of Commons, she outlined her vision of Britain in the 21st century.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speech

give/make a speech
She gave a speech at the party conference.
deliver a speech formal
The President delivered a major speech to Congress yesterday.
long
The speeches were all really long.
short/brief
The chairman opened the meeting with a brief speech.
a passionate/impassioned speech (=full of strong feeling)
She made impassioned speeches on civil rights.
an emotional speech (=showing emotions, especially by crying)
On retiring, she delivered an emotional farewell speech.
a moving speech (=making people feel strong emotions)
That was a very moving speech.
a powerful speech (=having a strong effect on people's opinions)
He gave a powerful speech calling for unity.
a rousing/stirring speech (=making people feel excited and eager to do something)
Thousands of people were inspired by his stirring speeches.
a major speech (=very important)
This was her first major speech as party leader.
somebody's inaugural speech (=their first one in an important political job)
He said all the right things in his inaugural speech.
somebody's acceptance speech (=when they accept a political job, a prize, or an award)
In his acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his wife.
a farewell speech (=by someone who is leaving)
an after-dinner speech (=after a formal dinner)
He gets paid a lot for making after-dinner speeches.
a keynote speech (=the most important one at an event)
The Prime Minister will make his keynote speech at the conference today.
a political speech
She began writing political speeches for local politicians.
a campaign speech (=given during a political campaign)
Eisenhower was careful in his campaign speeches to use only the vaguest of phrases.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

speech
noun
1.
BAD: I was invited to make a speech on the radio.
GOOD: I was invited to give a talk on the radio.

Usage Note:
A speech is usually made by a politician or by an important person at a meeting, social occasion, or dinner: 'The Prime Minister's speech included a fierce attack on the unions.'
A talk is usually informative and is often given by a lecturer: 'The title of Dr Chase's talk is "Solar Energy and the Nuclear Debate".'

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2.
BAD: I was asked to do a speech welcoming the new students.
GOOD: I was asked to give a speech welcoming the new students.

Usage Note:
give/make a speech (NOT do ): 'After the meal the bride's father stood up and made a short speech.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

speech a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people:
The bridegroom usually makes a speech after the wedding.
In her speech, she proposed major changes to the welfare system.
the opening speech of the conference
address formal a speech that a very important person gives to a large group of people:
the President's address to the nation
He was surrounded by security officers as he made his address.
talk an occasion when someone speaks to a group of people giving them information about a particular subject or about their experiences:
I went to an interesting talk on the wildlife of Antarctica.
He's been asked to give a talk about his trip to India.
lecture a talk, especially on an academic subject and given to students in a university:
a lecture on 17th century French literature
Professor Black is giving the lecture.
presentation a talk in which you describe or explain a new product or idea, especially one you give for your company:
I had to give a presentation to the board of directors.
He's making a presentation to the management of a well-known manufacturing company.
sermon a talk given by a priest or a religious leader:
The vicar preached a sermon about the need for forgiveness.
statement a spoken or written announcement that someone makes in public, often to journalists:
The minister issued a short statement in which he said he had no plans to resign.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲