What does "mail" mean?
A bag or wallet.
/meɪl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bag or wallet.
- Grammar: mail is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: chain mail, post, aegis, air-express.
- Useful contrasts: accept, collect, disarm.
- Usage evidence: Robbers wrecked the mail train.
How to use "mail"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mail" 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 "mail" 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 "mail" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mail" 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 "mail" is acting as noun, verb 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 "chain 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 "mail", 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 bag or wallet. countable, regional, uncountable
"What, loo, man, see here of dyce a bale; / A brydelynge caste for that is in thy male!"
- 2 Armour consisting of metal rings linked together. uncountable, usually
"The knight is laid in his mail, only the hands and face being bare."
- 3 An old French coin worth half a denier. historical
- 4 (Middle Ages) flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings wordnet
- 5 A bag containing letters to be delivered by post. countable, uncountable
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 Armour consisting of small plates linked together. broadly, uncountable, usually
- 7 A monetary payment or tribute. Scotland
- 8 a conveyance that transports the letters and packages that are conveyed by the postal system wordnet
- 9 The (physical) material conveyed by the postal service. countable, uncountable
"Meronym: mailpiece"
- 10 A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage. uncountable, usually
- 11 Rent. Scotland
- 12 the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office wordnet
- 13 The (physical) material conveyed by the postal service.; The letters, parcels, etc. delivered to a particular address or person. US, uncountable
"It should be in your mail today, unless the post office lost it!"
- 14 Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc. uncountable, usually
"We […] strip the lobster of his scarlet mail."
- 15 Tax. Scotland
- 16 the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service wordnet
- 17 A stagecoach, train or ship that delivers such post. countable, dated, uncountable
"All trains stop at all stations, with the exception of a few "local" stations near Mombasa and an odd flag stop or two usually missed by the mails."
- 18 A spot on a bird's feather; by extension, a spotted feather. obsolete, rare, uncountable, usually
"[T]he moorish-fly: made with the body of duskish wool; and the wings made of the blackish mail of the drake."
- 19 any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered wordnet
- 20 The postal service or system in general. countable, uncountable
"He decided to send his declaration by mail."
- 21 Electronic mail, e-mail: a computer network–based service for sending, storing, and forwarding electronic messages. uncountable
"Yahoo Mail has been providing mail service since 1997."
- 22 Email messages conceived in bulk (as with the analogous sense of physical mail). uncountable
"You've got mail [old audio clip announcing new email in the 1990s-2000s]"
- 23 An email message. India, countable, especially
"Please look through those mails and confirm whether you received the one about scheduling."
- 24 A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried. countable, uncountable
"“Fetch me the little private mail with the padlocks, that I recommended to your particular charge — d'ye hear?”"
Verb
- 1 To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail. ditransitive
- 2 To arm with mail. transitive
- 3 cause to be directed or transmitted to another place wordnet
- 4 To send by electronic mail. ditransitive
"Please mail me the spreadsheet by the end of the day."
- 5 To pinion. transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 send via the postal service wordnet
- 7 To contact (a person) by electronic mail. transitive
"I need to mail my tutor about the deadline."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Robbers wrecked the mail train."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mail"?
Common synonyms include: chain mail, post, aegis, air-express, airfreight, airmail.
How do you use "mail" in a sentence?
Robbers wrecked the mail train.
How do you pronounce "mail"?
Pronounced /meɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English male, from Anglo-Norman male, Old French male (“bag, wallet”), from Frankish *malha (“bag”), from Proto-Germanic *malhō (“bag, pouch”), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- (“leather pouch”). Compare Dutch maal.
Etymology 2
From Middle English mayle (“mail armor”), borrowed from Old French maille (“loop, stitch”), from Vulgar Latin *macla, from Latin macula (“blemish, mesh”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *smh₁-tleh₂, from *smeh₁- (“smear, rub”). Compare maillot.
Etymology 3
From Middle English mal, male from Old English māl (“speech, contract, agreement”) from Old Norse mál (“agreement, speech, lawsuit”). Akin to Old English mǣl (“speech”). Related to Old English mǣlan (mell), maþelian (“to speak out, declare”). From *maþlą (“meeting-place”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d- (“to encounter, come”), if so, related to meet, and moot.