-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
public-address system
noun
variants
or public address system
: an apparatus including a microphone and loudspeakers used for broadcasting (as to an audience in an auditorium)
called also PA, PA system
Examples of public-address system in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The latest episode of Evil includes an extended scene, set on on a plane going through turbulence, which features a) a demonic relic, b) a ghost pilot, c) disturbingly otherworldly transmissions through the aircraft’s public-address system.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 20 June 2024
The company’s greatest hits spotlighted Tiger Woods’s marital meltdown and the JetBlue flight attendant who quit his job by shouting obscenities over a plane’s public-address system, grabbing a beer from the galley, and sliding down the plane’s emergency chute.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2012
These needed to be kept at a distance from exploding pyrotechnics and angled away from the blare of the stadium’s public-address system.
—Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
In train stations, and subway stations, a voice over the public-address system makes an announcement, routinely.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for public-address system
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.
Word History
First Known Use
1917, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of public-address system was
in 1917
Dictionary Entries Near public-address system
Cite this Entry
“Public-address system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public-address%20system. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
public-address system
noun
: a set of equipment including microphone and loudspeakers used for broadcasting to a large audience in an auditorium or out of doors
More from Merriam-Webster on public-address system
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public-address system
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share