declaim

verb

di-ˈklām How to pronounce declaim (audio)
Definition of declaimnext
1
as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject over the last two centuries some of the most illustrious personages of their times have declaimed in the town's historic lyceum

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to harangue
to talk as if giving an important and formal speech he declaimed at some length about the nation's obligation to spread democratic values around the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of declaim Woody Harrelson declaims every line, upping the relentless factor of Phil’s mania. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 May 2026 Does Joyce’s fellow drama kid Alan (Eric Wiegand) hoist a skull aloft and declaim some Shakespeare in a bad English accent? — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025 But expect more than a few awards pundits to declaim that the Academy, finally, has no other choice but to present Park Chan-wook with his first Oscar nomination. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025 The Koreans have a lesson to share with those whose intellectuals, driven by identity and the metaphysics of difference, declaim ownership of the Enlightenment and its legacy. — George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for declaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declaim
  1. speak
  2. harangue
  3. lecture
  4. discourse
  5. talk
Verb
  • Security camera footage from a nearby residence showed the Durango parked in a driveway when three suspects approached the vehicle’s driver’s side and spoke engaged with Mitchell, the probable cause statement said.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
  • Just a few days later, Navratilova spoke by phone about the film, the friendship and their cancer battles.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of speak
Verb
  • Benatia got a three-month suspension for haranguing a fourth official.
    — Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026
  • While American pundits wrote haranguing op-eds warning that the breaking of diplomatic precedent would prompt China to escalate war, ordinary people in Taiwan celebrated.
    — Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of harangue
Verb
  • Some commentators in the United States have taken the opportunity to lecture Europeans, and perhaps even indulge in a little schadenfreude.
    — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • The work, then, is not to lecture communities into trusting us.
    — Tyler Evans, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026
Definition of lecture
Verb
  • Specifically, the majority of debate and discourse around the CLARITY Act centers around not only the ability of stablecoin issues to provide yield and yield adjacent products, but how these institutions should be regulated.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • This lucidity not only makes his work readable but also staves off the perception that discourse about UFOs and the CIA must be riddled with conspiratorial paranoia.
    — Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
Definition of discourse
Verb
  • Before assuming the new borrowing limits apply to you, talk with your financial aid office.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Above, her mother’s brother, Abdullahi Mohamed, cradled a cup of tea in his hands and talked to her parents about their Central Avenue community, the news of the day and the global events that dominated the early 2000s.
    — Julia Coin Updated July 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026
Definition of talk

Browse Nearby Words

decks (out)
declaim
declaimed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Declaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declaim. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on declaim

Nglish: Translation of declaim for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All