orator

noun

or·​a·​tor ˈȯr-ə-tər How to pronounce orator (audio)
ˈär-
1
: one who delivers an oration
The orator delivered the funeral oration at the cathedral.
2
: one distinguished for skill and power as a public speaker
is a masterly orator, able to reduce a throng of thousands to a hushed silenceRaymond Bonner

Examples of orator in a Sentence

though a brilliant wordsmith, Thomas Jefferson was by his own admission an unskilled orator
Recent Examples on the Web Some called him the Highbrow Hobo, others a curbstone orator, a walking encyclopedia, or a human history book. Michael Jackman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024 Lincoln arrived back in Washington, D.C. from Pennsylvania late on November 19, 1863, suffering from variola, a supposedly mild form of smallpox that proved severe enough to send the exhausted orator to his sickbed for weeks. Harold Holzer, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 That makes Lopez a versatile orator, but his flexibility might carry even more value in the field. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist and president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, launched the project in partnership with Black American orator and president of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington. Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024 With a sliver of the imposing Beaux Arts federal building rising from the left, the phalanx is framed by leafy green trees — an ensemble rather like classical sculptures of ancient deities, orators and ancestors prowling a 17th century garden at an English manor. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 And homeless people and soapbox orators are made unwelcome, because not doing that would be bad for business. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2024 But the Greek philosophers, historians, orators and novelists writing under the Roman empire, in the first three centuries A.D.? Peter Thonemann, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024 The movie is most wrenching when the eternal orator finds that his verbal dexterity avails him nothing. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'orator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of orator was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near orator

Cite this Entry

“Orator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orator. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

orator

noun
or·​a·​tor ˈȯr-ət-ər How to pronounce orator (audio)
ˈär-
: a public speaker noted for skill and power in speaking

More from Merriam-Webster on orator

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