the speaker
Person addressing audience
The speaker most commonly refers to the presiding officer of a legislative body, particularly the Speaker of the House in the U.S.
Congress or the Speaker of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament.
This person controls debate, recognizes members who wish to speak, and maintains order.
In everyday contexts, the speaker simply means whoever is currently talking: The speaker paused to take a sip of water.
It also denotes someone giving a formal address or presentation, or a device that produces sound from an audio signal.
- announcerOne who introduces programs
- conversationalistSkilled speaker in dialogue
- voiceSound from throat
- microphoneAudio input device
- lecturerOne who teaches formally
takes the floor · narrator · amplifier · spokesperson · debater · subwoofer · tweeter · monologue · rhetoric · presenter · discourse · storyteller · enunciation · articulation · podium · address · tone · preacher
speak, speech, speaker, spoken, speaking, spoke, speakers, unspeakable, loudspeaker