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1. The act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
   - address
    
2. (language) communication by word of mouth
   "his speech was garbled"
   - speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, language, voice communication, oral communication
    
3. Something spoken
   "he could hear them uttering merry speeches"
    
4. The exchange of spoken words
   "they were perfectly comfortable together without speech"
    
5. Your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally
   "her speech was barren of southernisms"; "I detected a slight accent in his speech"
   - manner of speaking, delivery
    
6. A lengthy rebuke
   - lecture, talking to
    
7. Words making up the dialogue of a play
   "the actor forgot his speech"
   - actor's line, words
    
8. The mental faculty or power of vocal communication
   - language

Derived forms: speeches

See also: phonic, speak, speechify

Type of: auditory communication, expressive style, faculty, line, mental faculty, module, rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval, speaking, speech act, speech production, style, utterance, vocalization

Part of: dialog [US], dialogue, paralanguage, paralinguistic communication

Encyclopedia: Speech