DictionaryAI

speaker

noun
SPEE-kur/ˈspikɚ/UKSPEE-kuh/ˈspiːkə/

Pluralspeakers

10 meanings of speaker

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable
    A device that turns electrical signals into sound you can hear.

    Like a tiny drum that pushes the air to make sound.

    The left speaker stopped working halfway through the concert.

    She plugged the speakers into her laptop to share the song.

    Similarloudspeaker, monitor

  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A person who is talking or saying something out loud.

    The speaker raised his voice so everyone at the back could hear.

    Native speakers often use slang that learners find confusing.

    Similartalker

    Oppositelistener, hearer

    Note
  3. 3
    nouncountable
    A person who gives a speech in front of a group of people.

    The keynote speaker walked onto the stage to loud applause.

    Each speaker was given ten minutes to address the crowd.

    Similarspeechmaker

    Oppositelistener

    Note
  4. 4
    nouncountable
    The person who leads and keeps order in some lawmaking groups.

    The speaker asked the noisy members to be quiet.

    Lawmakers chose a new speaker after the election.

    Similarchair, chairperson, chairman, president

    Note
  5. 5
    noununcountable
    The part of a phone that plays sound aloud so you can talk without holding it to your ear.

    She put the call on speaker so everyone could join in.

    He left the phone on speaker while he washed the dishes.

    Similarspeakerphone

    Note
  6. 6
    nouncountable
    The person who produces something said or written.

    The speaker of these words clearly regrets the decision.

    Every message has a speaker behind it, even a short written note.

    Oppositeaddressee, hearer

    Note
  7. 7
    nouncountable
    The made-up voice in a poem or song, not the real writer behind it.

    In this poem, the speaker misses someone who is far away.

    The speaker in the song feels lonely on a cold winter night.

    Similarpersona, narrator, voice

    Note
  8. 8
    nouncountable
    A key on a clarinet that makes the instrument jump up to higher notes.

    She pressed the speaker to reach the higher notes in the solo.

    A sticky speaker made the high notes crack during the recital.

    Note
  9. 9
    nounUScountable
    A book of ready-made passages people can use when writing speeches.

    She flipped through the speaker to find a fitting opening line.

    Every aide carried a speaker stuffed with patriotic passages.

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 10
    nounarchaic
    A wooden pole that hedge workers once used to carry loads on their shoulders.

    He balanced the heavy bundle on his speaker and trudged home.

    With a speäker, or stake, he tossed the outlying scraps of fuel on the into the conflagration.
    1878, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the NativeHere, speäker means a wooden pole used to carry or move loads.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

From an Old English word for "speaker," made from the word "speak" plus "-er."