1
as in to speak
to talk as if giving an important and formal speech
given the opportunity, many politicians will orate at considerable length on just about any subject
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to lecture
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
the respected anthropologist is expected to orate about her latest research findings before a packed auditorium
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of orate
The Open Meeting Act prohibits directors from discussing (or orating) on matters not disclosed on the agenda, per Civil Code Section 4930(a).
—
Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2025
The latter went on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and orated about his marathon oration sesh last week in Congress.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
Elegantly orating about universal vastness and human connection, the Chilean/French rapper’s delivery melds poetic prose with grace.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2025
Is there a historical context where the struggle has been orated by other groups?
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
At the age of 3, little Malachi Lukes was orating at his school in the style of President Barack Obama.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024
Perhaps a chatbot can even orate.
—David Crary, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orate
Verb
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Responding officers found bloody items in a nearby dumpster and spoke with neighbors who recalled seeing Ali before the police arrived.—
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Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to staying put when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a preseason press conference.—
Verb
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Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
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After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Verb
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Providence doesn’t give you a Latin teacher for a mother without consequence: Samy declaimed classical locutions with scandalous ease.—
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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.—
Verb
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Brandon asked her out the next day, and the pair spent hours talking on a Ferris wheel during their first date.—
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People with respiratory viruses who have high-risk conditions or who live in households with high-risk individuals should talk to their healthcare professional about taking antiviral medications to treat the virus or prevent transmission.—
Verb
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The tone was all the more remarkable because Desmond had previously spoken admiringly of Rodgers’ coaching capabilities and did not harangue him as supporters did when Rodgers abruptly left Celtic for Leicester City in 2019.—
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Truman would never have harangued the international community that America is First, or obstructed every effort to better the lot of humanity by asking what’s in it for the U.S., not in coming decades but during this news cycle.—
Verb
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Cage and Hay also gave a recital in conjunction with a lecture by W. F. Way, who discoursed on the need for a yacht harbor in Santa Monica.—
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The cycle can become so accidentally ubiquitous that the former kids who blissfully existed outside of whatever discourses these trends or bands started in their heyday wonder now, as adults, what was so bad about them in the first place.—
Cite this Entry
“Orate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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