: a cone-shaped device used to intensify or direct the voice
sometimes used figuratively
The once all-powerful national megaphone of the presidency …Steven Stark

megaphone

2 of 2

verb

megaphoned; megaphoning; megaphones

transitive verb

: to transmit or address through or as if through a megaphone
… people will cover you and ensure your dumb message is megaphoned to the masses …Jeff Vrabel

intransitive verb

: to speak through or as if through a megaphone

Examples of megaphone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In 1981, Luwi was sitting in class when the headmaster of his school called his name on a megaphone. Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Defending Big Bend At Santa Elena Canyon, local river guide Billy Miller speaks into a megaphone – his voice slightly bouncing off the canyon walls. Carlos Morales, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
Students need more than ganas, and relying so much on this idea is toxic and detrimental to Latinx students who constantly get this individualistic message megaphoned into them. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Among the weirdest reactions to the Supreme Court’s June 29 decisions on affirmative action, those megaphoned by California’s political class may be the most unhinged. Will Swaim, National Review, 13 July 2023 See All Example Sentences for megaphone

Word History

Etymology

Noun

mega- + -phone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1878, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of megaphone was in 1878

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Cite this Entry

“Megaphone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megaphone. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

megaphone

noun
mega·​phone
ˈmeg-ə-ˌfōn
: a cone-shaped device used to direct the voice and increase its loudness

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