holding forth
Lecturing at length
Holding forth is speaking at length, usually with the implication that the speaker is dominating conversation or lecturing others.
The phrase suggests self-important or tedious monologuing: He was holding forth on politics while everyone else exchanged glances.
Someone who holds forth assumes an audience, whether or not one was sought.
- orationFormal public speech
- declaimingSpeaking rhetorically aloud
- discoursingSpeaking or writing formally
- lecturingGiving an instructive talk
- speechifyingDelivering pompous addresses
preaching · monologue · going on and on · pontification · proclaiming · bloviating · opinionatedness · sermonizing · expounding · verbosity · soapbox · expatiate · podium · declaration · haranguing · blathering · public speaking · pronouncement
- speechmakingorating, declaiming, speechifying, sermonizing, preaching
- talkativenesstalkativeness, verbosity, wordiness, garrulity, loquacity
- explainingexplaining, clarifying, elaborating, elucidating, expounding
- oratorypublic speaking, speeches, oration, orations, addresses
holding forthlistening
Attending to sound
paying attention · lending an ear · keeping quiet · absorbing · attending
holding forthlistening
Attending to sound
keeping quiet · clamming up · biting one's tongue · shutting up · holding one's peace
hold, holding, forthcoming, forth, forthright, forthwith, forthrightness