Meaning & use
acceptance speech
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Meanings
nouncountable
A talk given by a person who has just received a prize, honor or official position, in which they thank people and say what it means to them.
Grammar: Countable: she gave two acceptance speeches in one night.
Patterns
- give an acceptance speech
- an acceptance speech for something
The actor's acceptance speech was short, funny and full of thanks to his crew.
She cried halfway through her acceptance speech and had to stop for a moment.
Before the ceremony, he wrote his acceptance speech on the back of a napkin, just in case.
nouncountable
A speech by a candidate who has been chosen by a political party to stand for office, setting out the goals of the campaign.
Grammar: Countable: the nominee delivered her acceptance speech on the final night of the convention.
Patterns
- deliver an acceptance speech
- an acceptance speech at something
The nominee used her acceptance speech to promise lower housing costs.
Millions of people watched the candidate's acceptance speech on television.
Word forms
| plural | acceptance speeches |
|---|
Common combinations
- give an acceptance speech
- He gave an acceptance speech that lasted barely a minute.
- deliver an acceptance speech
- The winner delivered her acceptance speech with great calm.
- a gracious acceptance speech
- Even though she was disappointed, her runner-up's acceptance speech was gracious.
- a rambling acceptance speech
- The director's rambling acceptance speech ran well over the time limit.
- prepare an acceptance speech
- Few nominees admit they prepared an acceptance speech in advance.
- an emotional acceptance speech
- The young singer made an emotional acceptance speech about her family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thank-you speech
- This is a casual, everyday way to say it and can describe thanks at any event, while acceptance speech suggests an official prize or position.
- victory speech
- This is used mainly after an election or contest is won, whereas an acceptance speech can follow any award, including ones with no competition.
- address
- This is a formal word for any speech to an audience and does not say anything about receiving an honor.
Opposites
Word family
- accept verb
- to take something that is offered, such as an award
- acceptance noun
- the act of taking or agreeing to something offered
- acceptable adjective
- good enough to be approved
- speak verb
- to talk to an audience or to a person
Commonly confused: acceptance speech or concession speech?
acceptance speech vs concession speech
A concession speech is given by someone who has lost, usually an election, and admits defeat. An acceptance speech is given by someone who has won or been chosen.
Practice
After the film won Best Picture, the producer walked on stage and gave a short ____ thanking the cast.
Choose one answer.
An acceptance speech is what a winner gives when receiving a prize. A concession speech is given by a loser who admits defeat, so it does not fit a winner.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acceptance speech”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.