noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/laʊdˈspiːkə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈlaʊdspiːkɚ/
CMU ARPABET:L AW1 D S P IY2 K ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal into audible sound.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any such transducer that is loud, as opposed to quiet ones such as those found in headphones.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An encasing containing one or more loudspeaker devices and usually other electrical equipment such as a driver.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
electro-acoustic transducer that converts electrical signals into sounds loud enough to be heard at a distance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: speaker, speaker unit, loudspeaker system, speaker system
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *ḱlutós Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz Proto-West Germanic *hlūd Old English hlūd Middle English loude, loud, lud English loud Proto-Indo-European *spregh-? Proto-Indo-European *spreg-? Proto-Germanic *sprekaną Proto-West Germanic *sprekan Old English sprecan Old English specan Middle English speken Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere Middle English spekere, speker English speaker English loudspeaker From loud + speaker.
Across languages
Translations
127 source translations are retained for this English entry.