speech act
ˈspiːʧ ˌækt
Definition

Definition of speech act - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

linguisticsTECH.utterance that does something, like promising or orderingTECH.
  • Making a promise is a speech act.
  • An apology is a common speech act.
  • A request is another type of speech act.
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Expressions with speech

canned speechn.
speech that lacks spontaneity or originality
His presentation felt like a canned speech with no real passion.
stump speechn.
political speech made during a campaign tour
The candidate delivered a fiery stump speech in the town square.
lose one's powers of speechv.
become unable to speak due to shock
He lost his powers of speech when he saw the accident.
speech is silverexp.
speaking is valuable but silence is more precious
In meetings, remember that speech is silver.
burst into speechv.
begin speaking suddenly and with strong feeling
Hearing the verdict, she burst into speech with angry protests.
figure of speechn.
expression using words in a nonliteral way
Metaphor is a common figure of speech in poetry.

Expressions with act

act naturallyv.
do it in an unforced, real way
When the camera started rolling, the director told everyone to act naturally.
act outv.
perform a role or part in a dramatic performance
She decided to act out the role of Juliet in the play.
act upv.
malfunction or fail to function correctly
My old laptop tends to act up when I try to run too many applications.
balancing actn.
performance involving balancing objects or oneself
The clown's balancing act amazed the audience.
in the actadj.
engaged in a specific activity
She was in the act of writing a letter.
act as onev.
behave in a unified and coordinated manner
The team must act as one to win the game.
act bigv.
behave as if more important than others
He likes to act big in front of his friends.
act first, think lateradv.
in an impulsive manner without prior thought
She tends to act first, think later in emergencies.
act funnyv.
behave in a strange or suspicious way
She started to act funny when we asked about the money.
act onv.
make decisions based on received information
She decided to act on the new data.

Terms related to speech act

💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
assertioncommanddeclarationdirectivepromisequestionrequeststatement

Terms with speech act included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
deliveringn.
communication
the act of giving a speech or presentation
rebuttaln.
counterargument
speech act of refuting with a contrary argument
transcriptionn.
writing
act of converting speech into written text
all kidding asideexp.
speech act
used to make a serious point after joking
citationn.
literature
act of quoting a text or speech
gaggingn.
speech suppression
act of suppressing speech or expression
kidding asideexp.
speech act
used to signal a shift from joking to serious talk
haranguingn.
public speaking
the act of giving a forceful critical speech

View all translations of speech act

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:acte de langage, ...
  2. German:Sprechakt, ...
  3. Italian:atto linguistico, ...
  4. Spanish:acto de habla, ...
  5. Portuguese:ato de fala, ...
  6. Chinese:言语行为, ...
  7. Japanese:発話行為, ...
  8. Arabic:فِعْل كَلَامِي, ...
  9. Hebrew:פְּעוּלַת דִּיבּוּר, ...
  10. Russian:речевой акт, ...
  11. Ukrainian:мовленнєвий акт, ...
  12. Hindi:भाषिक कृत्य, ...

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