utterance

UK/ˈʌtəɹəns/US/ˈʌtəɹəns/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,773 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: utterances

An utterance is something said, taken as a unit of speech. A single utterance.

Linguists use it because a sentence is a written idea and speech does not come in sentences. Every public utterance of a politician is now recorded, which has changed how they speak.

Definitions of utterance

1nounutteranceSomething said, taken as a unit of speech.C1
“One utterance in a nine-hour interview made every front page.”

utterance is a saying.

Where it comes from

Utter plus -ance, from an old verb meaning to put out or speak.

Middle English
utteraunce
English, today
utterance

From Middle English utteraunce, outeraunce; equivalent to utter + ance.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

utterance in the wild

In spoken language analysis, an utterance is a continuous piece of speech, by one person, before or after which there is silence on the part of the person.
Utterance
In written language, utterances only exist indirectly, through their representations or portrayals.
Utterance
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance.
Catchphrase
A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information.
Question
An excited utterance, in the law of evidence, is a statement made by a person in response to a startling or shocking event or condition.
Excited utterance

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

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