# messenger

/ˈmɛsəndʒɝ/ (US) · /mˈɛsɪndʒɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/messenger
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a person carrying news

noun · CEFR A2

someone who delivers a message or a package to another person.

For teachers: a person who carries a message or is employed to deliver telegrams, letters, or parcels.

- The king sent a messenger to tell the village that the war was over.
- The bicycle messenger wove through heavy midday traffic to deliver the legal documents before the court closed for the weekend.

### 2. messaging software

noun · CEFR B1

a computer program or app that lets you send messages to people instantly.

For teachers: an application or platform designed for real-time text-based communication over the internet.

- I will send you the address on messenger as soon as I find it.
- The company switched to a secure messenger to ensure that internal communications remained encrypted and private.

### 3. a sign of things to come

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a sign that something else is about to happen.

For teachers: a forerunner or harbinger that signals the approach of a future event.

- The cold wind was a messenger of the long winter ahead.
- The sudden drop in barometric pressure served as a silent messenger of the approaching hurricane.

### 4. a light rope

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a thin rope used to pull a much heavier rope from a ship to a dock.

For teachers: a light line used to haul a heavier cable or hawser, typically from a vessel to a pier or another ship.

- The sailors threw a messenger to the workers on the pier so they could pull the thick mooring rope in.
- The deckhand expertly coiled the messenger before casting it toward the dock, allowing the shore crew to secure the heavy hawser.

### 5. to send via courier

verb · CEFR B2

to send something using a person who delivers things.

For teachers: to dispatch a document or package via a dedicated courier service.

- I can messenger the keys to your office if you need them right away.
- The law firm decided to messenger the original contracts to the client's home to ensure they were signed before the morning deadline.

Usage: This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

## Examples

- The messenger delivered the package to the office this morning.
- I will send you the details of the meeting through a messenger app later today.
- In ancient times, a royal messenger would travel for days across difficult terrain to deliver urgent news to the king's allies.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.