Definition of "speech act" [speech act]

• An act that is performed by making an utterance, as the issuing of a warning, the making of a promise, or the giving of a greeting. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.