Utterance

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʌt.əɹ.É™ns/

Alternative forms

• utteraunce

From utter + -ance

Century 1911

Full definition of utterance

Noun

1. An act of uttering.
• John Miltonat length gave utterance to these words
2. Something spoken.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 13, “… They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.
• 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. Stephanus pagination.To know how one should express oneself in saying or judging that there really are falsehoods without getting caught up in contradiction by such an utterance: that's extremely difficult, Theaetetus.
3. The ability to speak.
4. Manner of speaking.
• Bible, Acts ii. 4They...began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
• John KeatsO, how unlike
  To that large utterance of the early gods!
5. He has a good utterance.
6. (obsolete) Sale by offering to the public.
7. (obsolete) Putting in circulation.
   the utterance of false coin, or of forged notes

Related terms

• utter
• utterable
• utterer

From Old French oultrance.

Noun

1. (now literary) The utmost extremity (of a fight etc.).
• 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X:For I woll have ado wyth the to the uttraunce, for the noble knyghtes and ladyes that thou haste betrayde.