| speech | |
| 1. n. The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the ability to speak or to use vocalizations to communicate. | |
| It was hard to hear the sounds of his speech over the noise. He had a bad speech impediment. | |
| 2. n. A session of speaking, especially a long oral message given publicly by one person. | |
| The candidate made some ambitious promises in his campaign speech. | |
| 3. n. A style of speaking. | |
| Her speech was soft and lilting. | |
| 4. n. (grammar) Speech reported in writing; see direct speech, reported speech | |
| 5. n. A dialect or language. | |
| 6. n. Talk; mention; rumour. | |
| 7. v. (transitive, intransitive) To make a speech; to harangue. | |
