American English

Definition of speech noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary



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  1. 1[countable] speech (on/about something) a formal talk that a person gives to an audience to give/make/deliver a speech on human rights He made the announcement in a speech on television. Several people made speeches at the wedding.
  2. 2[uncountable] the ability to speak I seemed to have lost the power of speech. a speech defect freedom of speech (= the right to say openly what you think)
  3. 3[uncountable] the way in which a particular person speaks Her speech was slurred—she was clearly drunk.
  4. 4[uncountable] the language used when speaking This expression is used mainly in speech, not in writing. speech sounds
  5. 5[countable] a group of lines that an actor speaks in a play in the theater She has the longest speech in the play. see also figure of speech
See the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary entry: speech