Spokeswoman

/ˈspəʊksˌwʊmən/

nounBeginner📊CommonBusiness
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

A woman who is authorized to speak on behalf of a group, organization, or person, particularly to the media or the public.

/ˈspəʊksˌwʊmən/

nounneutralBeginner
Business

A woman who speaks on behalf of an organization or person.

The environmental spokeswoman released a statement about the conservation efforts.

💡 Simply: Imagine a company is trying to tell everyone about their new product. They have a person who speaks for them, often in interviews. When that person is a woman, she's the spokeswoman!

👶 For kids: A spokeswoman is a lady who talks for a group or a person.

More Examples

2

She served as the spokeswoman for the political campaign.

3

The company's spokeswoman answered questions about the recall.

How It's Used

Politics

"The White House spokeswoman addressed the press about the new policy."

Business

"The company's spokeswoman handled all media inquiries."

Nonprofit

"The spokeswoman for the charity organization announced the fundraising results."

Idioms & expressions

speak for

To represent and express the views of a person or group.

"The union leader speaks for the workers."

From "spokesman" (early 20th century, derived from "speak" + "man") and "woman" (mid-20th century), to address gender inequality and to provide a female counterpart.

The term "spokeswoman" gained prominence in the 20th century due to the increasing visibility of women in leadership roles and media representation.

Memory tip

Think of a woman who speaks on behalf of something or someone - a spokesperson but specifically a woman.

Word Origin

LanguageEnglish
Original meaning

"To speak on behalf of; one who speaks"

company spokeswomangovernment spokeswomanofficial spokeswomanspokeswoman saidspokeswoman announced

Common misspellings

spokeswomenspokewomanspokswoman

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written