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Glite Dictionary
to speak in public

to speak in public

11 3.9
To talk in front of a group of people
  • phrasal verb
  • /spiːk ɪn ˈpʌblɪk/
  • Formal
: hablar en público
  • Southern women had begun to speak in public and to make a difference in their communities, and citizens were learning the political and social power of active organizations.

Another often asked question when I speak in public.

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Examples

  • A citizen, after all, must always be ready to speak in public, and so considerable attention was given to enunciation and what one author called "rhetorical reading."

    Academic text (2002)

  • Would you like to learn how to speak in public?

    Max (2002)

  • Learning how to speak in public is one of the most important life skills that you can force yourself to get better at.

  • You are invited to speak in public.

    Blog text (25)

  • Conferences can teach you how to speak in public, help you understand the business, and assist in building name recognition.

    Blog text (20)

  • He's just a little shy about speaking in public.

    Seabiscuit (2003)

  • Winnie, when you speak in public, you must represent the policies of the ANC.

    Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)

  • "Professors have a right to protest and to speak in public, but they're going to be held to a higher standard when they're representing the university."

    Academic text (2016)

  • Not surprisingly, they considered themselves unprepared to enter the political arena, a sphere that traditionally had been reserved for educated men, and felt uncomfortable speaking in public, educating other women, and participating in politics.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Jackson learned how to speak in public by reciting Bible passages before the congregation at church.

Synonyms

to speak
vsto speak in public
  • Formal
521 3.2

To give a formal talk to a group of people

focuses on public events outside private or informal settings
to address
vsto speak in public
  • Formal
131 4.4

To speak formally to a group, often when giving a speech

covers public speaking more broadly, not only formal statements
to make a speech
vsto speak in public
  • Formal
54 2.8

Give a formal talk to people at a public or special event

is used for public speaking beyond special ceremonies
to deliver a speech
vsto speak in public
  • Formal
16 3.3

To give a formal talk to an audience

is about public speaking in any nonprivate setting

Antonyms

to keep quiet
208 2.5

To say nothing or not tell a secret

to have a quiet word
2 6.0

To speak to someone in private about something sensitive

How Formal

to orate
  • Formal
1 8.8
to lecture
40 3.8
to speak in public
  • Formal
11 3.9
to talk
12 3.4

Surface Forms

speak in public infinitive
speaking in public present participle
speaks in public third person singular
spoke in public past
spoken in public past participle

Morphology

speak + in + public

The meaning 'to give a speech or talk before an audience' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'speak' (to talk) with the prepositional phrase 'in public' (in front of others/audience). This verb + prepositional phrase composition is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase speak in public comes from the image of a person standing in a town square or hall and speaking so a group of people can hear. The word public means not private and speak means to talk aloud, so speak in public now means 'to give a speech or talk before a group of people'.