What does "telegraph" mean?

1. (historical communication device) an old machine used to send messages over long distances using electricity and wires. 2. (to signal intentions) to show what you are going to do next through your movements or expression, often without meaning to. 3. (to send a message) to send a message using a telegraph machine.

How do you use "telegraph"?

Often used with the definite article 'the' to refer to the system as a whole.

telegraph

n. · v.

US //ˈtɛɫəˌɡɹæf// UK //tˈɛlɪɡɹˌæf// tele·graph

1 historical communication device (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Archaic

an old machine used to send messages over long distances using electricity and wires.

a historical telecommunications device or system used to transmit text messages via electrical signals, typically using Morse code.

Example

Before the telephone was invented, people used the telegraph to send urgent news across the country.

Example

The invention of the electric telegraph revolutionized global commerce by allowing information to travel faster than a physical courier for the first time in history.

Usage

Often used with the definite article 'the' to refer to the system as a whole.
- wire
2 to signal intentions (v.)
C1 Advanced Informal

to show what you are going to do next through your movements or expression, often without meaning to.

to unintentionally communicate an intended action or feeling through non-verbal cues or body language.

Example

The boxer telegraphed his next move by looking down at his opponent's feet.

Example

The negotiator inadvertently telegraphed her lack of confidence by fidgeting with her pen whenever the price was mentioned.

Teacher's tip

This figurative sense is very common in sports and gaming contexts to describe predictable behavior.
- conceal
- mask

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3 to send a message (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Archaic

to send a message using a telegraph machine.

to transmit a message via a telegraphic system.

Example

The general telegraphed his orders to the troops at the front line.

Example

The diplomat telegraphed the terms of the treaty back to the capital, awaiting a response from the prime minister.
- wire
- cable

Origin

Borrowed from French télégraphe, equivalent to tele- (“far, distant”) + graph (“writing”), suggested as a new name for Claude Chappe's overland semaphore network by André François Miot de Mélito in place of Chappe's original tachygraphe (“tachygraph, fast writer”).

Idioms3 entries