| speech | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. address, speech | the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience.; "he listened to an address on minor Roman poets" |
| ~ body | the central message of a communication.; "the body of the message was short" |
| ~ introduction | the first section of a communication. |
| ~ close, closing, ending, conclusion, end | the last section of a communication.; "in conclusion I want to say..." |
| ~ speech act | the use of language to perform some act. |
| ~ allocution | (rhetoric) a formal or authoritative address that advises or exhorts. |
| ~ colloquium | an address to an academic meeting or seminar. |
| ~ dithyramb | a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing. |
| ~ gettysburg address | a three-minute address by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg (November 19, 1863). |
| ~ impromptu | an extemporaneous speech or remark.; "a witty impromptu must not sound premeditated" |
| ~ inaugural, inaugural address | an address delivered at an inaugural ceremony (especially by a United States president). |
| ~ lecture, public lecture, talk | a speech that is open to the public.; "he attended a lecture on telecommunications" |
| ~ litany | any long and tedious address or recital.; "the patient recited a litany of complaints"; "a litany of failures" |
| ~ oratory | addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous).; "he loved the sound of his own oratory" |
| ~ oral presentation, public speaking, speechmaking, speaking | delivering an address to a public audience.; "people came to see the candidates and hear the speechmaking" |
| ~ preaching, sermon, discourse | an address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service). |
| n. (communication) | 2. language, oral communication, speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, voice communication | (language) communication by word of mouth.; "his speech was garbled"; "he uttered harsh language"; "he recorded the spoken language of the streets" |
| ~ language, linguistic communication | a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols.; "he taught foreign languages"; "the language introduced is standard throughout the text"; "the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it is written" |
| ~ auditory communication | communication that relies on hearing. |
| ~ words | the words that are spoken.; "I listened to his words very closely" |
| ~ orthoepy, pronunciation | the way a word or a language is customarily spoken.; "the pronunciation of Chinese is difficult for foreigners"; "that is the correct pronunciation" |
| ~ conversation | the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.. |
| ~ give-and-take, discussion, word | an exchange of views on some topic.; "we had a good discussion"; "we had a word or two about it" |
| ~ locution, saying, expression | a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations.; "pardon the expression" |
| ~ non-standard speech | speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community. |
| ~ idiolect | the language or speech of one individual at a particular period in life. |
| ~ monologue | a long utterance by one person (especially one that prevents others from participating in the conversation). |
| ~ magic spell, magical spell, charm, spell | a verbal formula believed to have magical force.; "he whispered a spell as he moved his hands"; "inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese" |
| ~ dictation | speech intended for reproduction in writing. |
| ~ monologue, soliloquy | speech you make to yourself. |
| n. (communication) | 3. speech | something spoken.; "he could hear them uttering merry speeches" |
| ~ utterance, vocalization | the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication. |
| n. (communication) | 4. speech | the exchange of spoken words.; "they were perfectly comfortable together without speech" |
| ~ speaking, speech production | the utterance of intelligible speech. |
| n. (communication) | 5. delivery, manner of speaking, speech | your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally.; "his manner of speaking was quite abrupt"; "her speech was barren of southernisms"; "I detected a slight accent in his speech" |
| ~ expressive style, style | a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period.; "all the reporters were expected to adopt the style of the newspaper" |
| ~ address | the manner of speaking to another individual.; "he failed in his manner of address to the captain" |
| ~ catch | a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion). |
| ~ paralanguage, paralinguistic communication | the use of manner of speaking to communicate particular meanings. |
| ~ tongue | a manner of speaking.; "he spoke with a thick tongue"; "she has a glib tongue" |
| ~ shibboleth | a manner of speaking that is distinctive of a particular group of people. |
| ~ tone, tone of voice | the quality of a person's voice.; "he began in a conversational tone"; "he spoke in a nervous tone of voice" |
| ~ elocution | an expert manner of speaking involving control of voice and gesture. |
| ~ prosody, inflection | the patterns of stress and intonation in a language. |
| ~ inflection, modulation | a manner of speaking in which the loudness or pitch or tone of the voice is modified. |
| n. (communication) | 6. lecture, speech, talking to | a lengthy rebuke.; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" |
| ~ rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval | an act or expression of criticism and censure.; "he had to take the rebuke with a smile on his face" |
| ~ preaching, sermon | a moralistic rebuke.; "your preaching is wasted on him" |
| ~ curtain lecture | a private lecture to a husband by his wife. |
| n. (communication) | 7. actor's line, speech, words | words making up the dialogue of a play.; "the actor forgot his speech" |
| ~ dialog, dialogue | the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction. |
| ~ aside | a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage. |
| ~ cue | an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech. |
| ~ monologue | a (usually long) dramatic speech by a single actor. |
| ~ soliloquy | a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections. |
| ~ throwaway | words spoken in a casual way with conscious under-emphasis. |
| ~ line | text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen.; "the letter consisted of three short lines"; "there are six lines in every stanza" |
| n. (cognition) | 8. language, speech | the mental faculty or power of vocal communication.; "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals" |
| ~ faculty, mental faculty, module | one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind. |
| ~ lexis | all of the words in a language; all word forms having meaning or grammatical function. |
| ~ lexicon, mental lexicon, vocabulary | a language user's knowledge of words. |
| ~ verbalise, verbalize | convert into a verb.; "many English nouns have become verbalized" |
| say | | |
| n. (state) | 1. say | the chance to speak.; "let him have his say" |
| ~ chance, opportunity | a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances.; "the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"; "now is your chance" |
| v. (communication) | 2. say, state, tell | express in words.; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" |
| ~ present, lay out, represent | bring forward and present to the mind.; "We presented the arguments to him"; "We cannot represent this knowledge to our formal reason" |
| ~ misstate | state something incorrectly.; "You misstated my position" |
| ~ answer, reply, respond | react verbally.; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the question"; "We answered that we would accept the invitation" |
| ~ preface, premise, precede, introduce | furnish with a preface or introduction.; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution" |
| ~ give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize | articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise.; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" |
| ~ announce, declare | announce publicly or officially.; "The President declared war" |
| ~ enunciate, vocalise, vocalize, articulate | express or state clearly. |
| ~ say | state as one's opinion or judgement; declare.; "I say let's forget this whole business" |
| ~ get out | express with difficulty.; "I managed to get out a few words" |
| ~ declare | state emphatically and authoritatively.; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" |
| ~ declare | make a declaration (of dutiable goods) to a customs official.; "Do you have anything to declare?" |
| ~ note, remark, mention, observe | make mention of.; "She observed that his presentation took up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing" |
| ~ add, append, supply | state or say further.; "`It doesn't matter,' he supplied" |
| ~ explain | define.; "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean" |
| ~ give | convey or reveal information.; "Give one's name" |
| ~ sum, summarise, sum up, summarize | be a summary of.; "The abstract summarizes the main ideas in the paper" |
| v. (communication) | 3. allege, aver, say | report or maintain.; "He alleged that he was the victim of a crime"; "He said it was too late to intervene in the war"; "The registrar says that I owe the school money" |
| ~ plead | make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts. |
| ~ assert, asseverate, maintain | state categorically. |
| v. (communication) | 4. say, suppose | express a supposition.; "Let us say that he did not tell the truth"; "Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?" |
| ~ speculate | talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion.; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal" |
| v. (stative) | 5. read, say | have or contain a certain wording or form.; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?" |
| ~ read | interpret something that is written or printed.; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?" |
| ~ feature, have | have as a feature.; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France" |
| v. (communication) | 6. enjoin, order, say, tell | give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed" |
| ~ direct | command with authority.; "He directed the children to do their homework" |
| ~ instruct | give instructions or directions for some task.; "She instructed the students to work on their pronunciation" |
| ~ command, require | make someone do something. |
| ~ request | ask (a person) to do something.; "She asked him to be here at noon"; "I requested that she type the entire manuscript" |
| ~ send for, call | order, request, or command to come.; "She was called into the director's office"; "Call the police!" |
| ~ warn | ask to go away.; "The old man warned the children off his property" |
| v. (communication) | 7. articulate, enounce, enunciate, pronounce, say, sound out | speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way.; "She pronounces French words in a funny way"; "I cannot say `zip wire'"; "Can the child sound out this complicated word?" |
| ~ twang | pronounce with a nasal twang. |
| ~ mouth, speak, talk, verbalise, verbalize, utter | express in speech.; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" |
| ~ devoice | utter with tense vocal chords. |
| ~ raise | pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth.; "raise your `o'" |
| ~ lilt | articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way. |
| ~ palatalise, palatalize | pronounce a consonant with the tongue against the palate. |
| ~ nasalise, nasalize | pronounce with a lowered velum.; "She nasalizes all her vowels" |
| ~ nasalise, nasalize | speak nasally or through the nose.; "In this part of the country, people tend to nasalize" |
| ~ mispronounce, misspeak | pronounce a word incorrectly.; "She mispronounces many Latinate words" |
| ~ aspirate | pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds. |
| ~ vocalize, voice, vocalise, sound | utter with vibrating vocal chords. |
| ~ retroflex | articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate.; "Indian accents can be characterized by the fact that speakers retroflex their consonants" |
| ~ subvocalise, subvocalize | articulate without making audible sounds.; "she was reading to herself and merely subvocalized" |
| ~ syllabise, syllabize | utter with distinct articulation of each syllable.; "The poet syllabized the verses he read" |
| ~ drawl | lengthen and slow down or draw out.; "drawl one's vowels" |
| ~ labialise, labialize, round | pronounce with rounded lips. |
| ~ lisp | speak with a lisp. |
| ~ accent, accentuate, stress | put stress on; utter with an accent.; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" |
| ~ vowelise, vowelize, vocalise, vocalize | pronounce as a vowel.; "between two consonants, this liquid is vowelized" |
| ~ click | produce a click.; "Xhosa speakers click" |
| ~ trill | pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'.; "Some speakers trill their r's" |
| ~ sibilate | pronounce with an initial sibilant. |
| ~ flap | pronounce with a flap, of alveolar sounds. |
| ~ explode | cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/. |
| ~ roll | pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/.; "She rolls her r's" |
| v. (communication) | 8. say | communicate or express nonverbally.; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" |
| ~ say | indicate.; "The clock says noon" |
| ~ convey | make known; pass on, of information.; "She conveyed the message to me" |
| v. (communication) | 9. say | utter aloud.; "She said `Hello' to everyone in the office" |
| ~ give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize | articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise.; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" |
| v. (communication) | 10. say | state as one's opinion or judgement; declare.; "I say let's forget this whole business" |
| ~ say, state, tell | express in words.; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" |
| v. (communication) | 11. say | recite or repeat a fixed text.; "Say grace"; "She said her `Hail Mary'" |
| ~ recite | repeat aloud from memory.; "she recited a poem"; "The pupil recited his lesson for the day" |
| v. (communication) | 12. say | indicate.; "The clock says noon" |
| ~ record, register, read, show | indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments.; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'" |
| ~ say | communicate or express nonverbally.; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" |
| speak | | |
| v. (communication) | 1. mouth, speak, talk, utter, verbalise, verbalize | express in speech.; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" |
| ~ read | look at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed.; "The King will read the proclamation at noon" |
| ~ communicate, intercommunicate | transmit thoughts or feelings.; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" |
| ~ phonate, vocalise, vocalize | utter speech sounds. |
| ~ troll | speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice. |
| ~ begin | begin to speak or say.; "Now listen, friends," |
| ~ lip off, shoot one's mouth off | speak spontaneously and without restraint.; "She always shoots her mouth off and says things she later regrets" |
| ~ shout | utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking).; "My grandmother is hard of hearing--you'll have to shout" |
| ~ whisper | speak softly; in a low voice. |
| ~ peep | speak in a hesitant and high-pitched tone of voice. |
| ~ speak up | speak louder; raise one's voice.; "The audience asked the lecturer to please speak up" |
| ~ snap, snarl | utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone.; "The sales clerk snapped a reply at the angry customer"; "The guard snarled at us" |
| ~ enthuse | utter with enthusiasm. |
| ~ speak in tongues | speak unintelligibly in or as if in religious ecstasy.; "The parishioners spoke in tongues" |
| ~ swallow | utter indistinctly.; "She swallowed the last words of her speech" |
| ~ verbalise, verbalize | be verbose.; "This lawyer verbalizes and is rather tedious" |
| ~ verbalise, verbalize | be verbose.; "This lawyer verbalizes and is rather tedious" |
| ~ whiff | utter with a puff of air.; "whiff out a prayer" |
| ~ talk of, talk about | discuss or mention.; "They spoke of many things" |
| ~ blubber out, blubber | utter while crying. |
| ~ drone on, drone | talk in a monotonous voice. |
| ~ stammer, stutter, bumble, falter | speak haltingly.; "The speaker faltered when he saw his opponent enter the room" |
| ~ rasp | utter in a grating voice. |
| ~ blunder out, blurt, blurt out, ejaculate, blunder | utter impulsively.; "He blurted out the secret"; "He blundered his stupid ideas" |
| ~ inflect, modulate, tone | vary the pitch of one's speech. |
| ~ deliver, present | deliver (a speech, oration, or idea).; "The commencement speaker presented a forceful speech that impressed the students" |
| ~ generalise, generalize | speak or write in generalities. |
| ~ blabber, gabble, gibber, palaver, piffle, prate, prattle, tattle, tittle-tattle, twaddle, blab, clack, maunder, chatter | speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly. |
| ~ chatter | make noise as if chattering away.; "The magpies were chattering in the trees" |
| ~ rattle on, yack, yack away, yap away, jaw | talk incessantly and tiresomely. |
| ~ open up | talk freely and without inhibition. |
| ~ snivel, whine | talk in a tearful manner. |
| ~ murmur | speak softly or indistinctly.; "She murmured softly to the baby in her arms" |
| ~ mumble, mussitate, mutter, maunder | talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice. |
| ~ slur | utter indistinctly. |
| ~ bark | speak in an unfriendly tone.; "She barked into the dictaphone" |
| ~ bay | utter in deep prolonged tones. |
| ~ jabber, mouth off, rabbit on, rant, rave, spout | talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner. |
| ~ siss, sizz, hiss, sibilate | express or utter with a hiss. |
| ~ cackle | talk or utter in a cackling manner.; "The women cackled when they saw the movie star step out of the limousine" |
| ~ babble | utter meaningless sounds, like a baby, or utter in an incoherent way.; "The old man is only babbling--don't pay attention" |
| ~ intone, tone, chant | utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically.; "The students chanted the same slogan over and over again" |
| ~ gulp | utter or make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly.; "He gulped for help after choking on a big piece of meat" |
| ~ sing | produce tones with the voice.; "She was singing while she was cooking"; "My brother sings very well" |
| v. (communication) | 2. speak, talk | exchange thoughts; talk with.; "We often talk business"; "Actions talk louder than words" |
| ~ communicate, intercommunicate | transmit thoughts or feelings.; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" |
| ~ proceed, continue, carry on, go on | continue talking.; "I know it's hard,"; "but there is no choice"; "carry on--pretend we are not in the room" |
| ~ dissertate, hold forth, discourse | talk at length and formally about a topic.; "The speaker dissertated about the social politics in 18th century England" |
| ~ pontificate | talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner.; "The new professor always pontificates" |
| ~ orate | talk pompously. |
| ~ talk down | speak in a condescending manner, as if to a child.; "He talks down to her" |
| ~ spiel | speak at great length (about something). |
| ~ dogmatise, dogmatize | speak dogmatically. |
| ~ cheek | speak impudently to. |
| ~ level | talk frankly with; lay it on the line.; "I have to level with you" |
| ~ talk turkey | discuss frankly, often in a business context. |
| ~ monologuise, monologuize, soliloquise, soliloquize | talk to oneself. |
| ~ converse, discourse | carry on a conversation. |
| ~ chat up, coquet, coquette, flirt, mash, philander, butterfly, dally, romance | talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions.; "The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries"; "My husband never flirts with other women" |
| ~ dish the dirt, gossip | wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies.; "She won't dish the dirt" |
| ~ rap | talk volubly. |
| v. (communication) | 3. speak, talk | use language.; "the baby talks already"; "the prisoner won't speak"; "they speak a strange dialect" |
| ~ communicate, intercommunicate | transmit thoughts or feelings.; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist" |
| ~ run on | talk or narrate at length. |
| ~ smatter | speak with spotty or superficial knowledge.; "She smatters Russian" |
| ~ slang | use slang or vulgar language. |
| v. (communication) | 4. address, speak | give a speech to.; "The chairman addressed the board of trustees" |
| ~ blaze away | speak with fire and passion.; "He blazed away at his opponents in the Senate" |
| ~ memorialise, memorialize | address in a memorial.; "The President memorialized the heroes of the battle" |
| ~ keynote | give the keynote address to (an audience). |
| ~ speak, talk | use language.; "the baby talks already"; "the prisoner won't speak"; "they speak a strange dialect" |
| ~ harangue | deliver a harangue to; address forcefully. |
| v. (perception) | 5. speak | make a characteristic or natural sound.; "The drums spoke" |
| ~ sound | give off a certain sound or sounds.; "This record sounds scratchy" |
| talk | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. talk, talking | an exchange of ideas via conversation.; "let's have more work and less talk around here" |
| ~ conversation | the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.. |
| ~ pious platitude, cant | insincere talk about religion or morals. |
| ~ dialog, dialogue, duologue | a conversation between two persons. |
| ~ heart-to-heart | an intimate talk in private.; "he took me aside for a little heart-to-heart" |
| ~ shmooze | (Yiddish) a warm heart-to-heart talk. |
| ~ shop talk | talk about your business that only others in the same business can understand. |
| ~ idle words, jazz, malarkey, malarky, nothingness, wind | empty rhetoric or insincere or exaggerated talk.; "that's a lot of wind"; "don't give me any of that jazz" |
| ~ chatter, yack, yak, yakety-yak, cackle | noisy talk. |
| n. (communication) | 2. talk | discussion; (`talk about' is a less formal alternative for `discussion of').; "his poetry contains much talk about love and anger" |
| ~ discussion, discourse, treatment | an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic.; "the book contains an excellent discussion of modal logic"; "his treatment of the race question is badly biased" |
| n. (act) | 3. talk | the act of giving a talk to an audience.; "I attended an interesting talk on local history" |
| ~ lecturing, lecture | teaching by giving a discourse on some subject (typically to a class). |
| ~ chalk talk | a talk that uses a blackboard and chalk. |
| n. (communication) | 4. lecture, public lecture, talk | a speech that is open to the public.; "he attended a lecture on telecommunications" |
| ~ speech, address | the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience.; "he listened to an address on minor Roman poets" |
| n. (communication) | 5. talk, talk of the town | idle gossip or rumor.; "there has been talk about you lately" |
| ~ scuttlebutt, gossip, comment | a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people.; "the divorce caused much gossip" |
| v. (communication) | 6. spill, talk | reveal information.; "If you don't oblige me, I'll talk!"; "The former employee spilled all the details" |
| ~ babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, spill the beans, tattle, babble, sing, talk | divulge confidential information or secrets.; "Be careful--his secretary talks" |
| ~ tell | let something be known.; "Tell them that you will be late" |
| v. (communication) | 7. babble, babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, sing, spill the beans, talk, tattle | divulge confidential information or secrets.; "Be careful--his secretary talks" |
| ~ disclose, divulge, let on, expose, give away, let out, reveal, unwrap, discover, bring out, break | make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret.; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case" |
| ~ talk, spill | reveal information.; "If you don't oblige me, I'll talk!"; "The former employee spilled all the details" |
| v. (communication) | 8. lecture, talk | deliver a lecture or talk.; "She will talk at Rutgers next week"; "Did you ever lecture at Harvard?" |
| ~ preach, prophesy | deliver a sermon.; "The minister is not preaching this Sunday" |
| ~ instruct, teach, learn | impart skills or knowledge to.; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat" |
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