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Glite Dictionary
to speak in public

to speak in public

5 3.9
To talk in front of a group of people
  • phrasal verb
  • /spiːk ɪn ˈpʌblɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : 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
∞ 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
236 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
35 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
8 3.3

To give a formal talk to an audience

is about public speaking in any nonprivate setting

Antonyms

to keep quiet
90 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
65 3.8
to speak in public
  • Formal
5 3.9
to talk
∞ 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'.