Meaning & use
loudhailer
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Meaning
nouncountable
A handheld device shaped like a cone that makes a person's voice louder so that a crowd or distant people can hear it.
Grammar: Plural is loudhailers: the police used loudhailers to clear the street.
Patterns
- speak through a loudhailer
- shout into a loudhailer
The organizer spoke through a loudhailer so the whole crowd could hear her.
Police officers used a loudhailer to tell people to move back.
The coach shouted instructions through a loudhailer across the field.
Word forms
| plural | loudhailers |
|---|
Common combinations
- speak through a loudhailer
- The guide spoke through a loudhailer at the busy market.
- announce over a loudhailer
- The result was announced over a loudhailer.
- shout into a loudhailer
- He shouted into a loudhailer to get everyone's attention.
- hold a loudhailer
- She held a loudhailer above her head.
- use a loudhailer
- Marchers used a loudhailer to lead their chants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- megaphone
- Megaphone is the more international term and can describe the cone shape specifically.
- bullhorn
- Bullhorn is the usual American word and often suggests an electric version used by police or protesters.
- PA system
- A PA system is a larger fixed sound setup with speakers and microphones, not a handheld device.
Word family
Commonly confused: loudhailer or loudspeaker?
loudhailer vs loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is the part of an audio system that turns electrical signals into sound, not a handheld device you speak into.
Practice
A British police officer wants to give instructions to a large crowd. What is she most likely to use?
Choose one answer.
A loudhailer makes the voice louder for a crowd. The other items have nothing to do with amplifying speech.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loudhailer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.