What does "email" mean?
A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet Message Format.
/ˈiːmeɪl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet Message Format.
- Grammar: email is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: electronic mail, contact number, contact technology, contacts.
- Useful contrasts: calls, chat, delete.
- Usage evidence: I just wanted to check my email.
How to use "email"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "email" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "email" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "email" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "email" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "email" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "electronic mail" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "email", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet Message Format. uncountable
"He sent me his details via email."
- 2 Enamel (“an opaque, glossy coating”). obsolete, rare
"Set Naples courser to an asse, / Fine emerawde vnto greene glasse: / Set rich rubye to redd emayle, / The raven's plume to peacocke's tayle: / [...] / There shall no less an oddes be seene, / In myne from everye other Queene!"
- 3 (computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that can be regenerated at the recipient's terminal when the recipient logs in wordnet
- 4 The quantity of messages sent through an email system. uncountable
"I am searching through my old email."
- 5 a message sent over the internet via the email system wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A message being sent through email. countable
"He sent me an email last week to remind me about the meeting."
- 7 an identifier that a person uses as their identity to communicate on the email system wordnet
- 8 An email address. countable, informal
"What’s your email?"
Verb
- 1 To send an email or emails to. transitive
"She emailed me last week, asking about the status of the project."
- 2 communicate electronically on the computer wordnet
- 3 To send (data) through email. ditransitive, transitive
"I’ll email you the link."
- 4 To send, or compose and then send, one or more emails. intransitive
"Most teenagers seem to spend almost the whole day emailing and surfing the Web."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I just wanted to check my email."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "email"?
Common synonyms include: electronic mail, contact number, contact technology, contacts, correspond, corresponded.
How do you use "email" in a sentence?
I just wanted to check my email.
How do you pronounce "email"?
Pronounced /ˈiːmeɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is an abbreviation of electronic mail. First attested in the 1970s. The verb is derived from the noun, by analogy with mail (“to send through the mail”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Middle French email, from Old French esmal (“enamel”) (modern French émail (“enamel; vitreous enamel; glaze (coating on pottery)”)), from Medieval Latin smaltum (“enamel”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“to melt; to soften”). Doublet of smalt, smalto, and schmaltz.