What does "post" mean?
A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
Post
/pəʊst/ adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang
adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
- Grammar: post is listed as adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mail, position, stake, accredit.
- Useful contrasts: before, beforehand, collect.
- Usage evidence: You should apply for that post.
How to use "post"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "post" 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 "post" 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 "post" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "post" 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 "post" is acting as adv, name, noun, prep, 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 "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 "post", 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 long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
"ram a post into the ground"
- 2 Each of a series of men stationed at specific places along a postroad, with responsibility for relaying letters and dispatches of the monarch (and later others) along the route. obsolete
- 3 An assigned station; a guard post.
"From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away."
- 4 Post-production. informal, uncountable
"we'll fix it in post"
- 5 A post mortem (an investigation of a body's cause of death). informal
"I gotta run. Yes, send the kid to the morgue. We'll do a post on Monday."
Show 29 more definitions
- 6 Acronym of power-on self-test. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 7 the delivery and collection of letters and packages wordnet
- 8 A stud; a two-by-four.
- 9 A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travellers on some recognized route. dated
"a stage or railway post"
- 10 An appointed position in an organization, job.
"As hard as this may seem for some people to understand, my adamant stand in favor of President Clinton leaving his post was not personal."
- 11 a job in an organization wordnet
- 12 A pole in a battery.
- 13 A military base; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.
"September 6th.—The English mail of the 10th of July arrived to-day, and while Mr. Hart was at the Foreign Office engaged on business with Wan-se-ang and Hang-Ki, he received his Shang-hai letters, one of which contained the news of the recapture by the Imperial forces of the cities of Woo-tu and Nan-ching, two important rebel posts."
- 14 military installation at which a body of troops is stationed wordnet
- 15 A long, narrow piece inserted into a root canal to provide retention for a crown.
- 16 Someone who travels express along a set route carrying letters and dispatches; a courier. historical
"I fear my Julia would not deign my lines, Receiving them from such a worthless post."
- 17 an upright consisting of a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position wordnet
- 18 A prolonged final melody note, among moving harmony notes.
- 19 An organisation for delivering letters, parcels etc., or the service provided by such an organisation. Australia, New-Zealand, UK
"sent via post; parcel post"
- 20 the system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office wordnet
- 21 A printing paper size measuring 19.25 inches x 15.5 inches.
- 22 A single delivery of letters; the letters or deliveries that make up a single batch delivered to one person or one address. Australia, New-Zealand, UK
"Royal Mail worker Evette Chapman gathered a team of 12 colleagues to deliver post in fancy dress and raise money for a nurses' charity and patients in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton."
- 23 a pole or stake set up to mark something (as the start or end of a race track) wordnet
- 24 A goalpost.
"But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post."
- 25 A message posted in an electronic or Internet forum, or on a blog, etc.
- 26 A message on a social media website wordnet
- 27 A location on a basketball court near the basket.
- 28 A moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 10-20 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts) at a 45-degree angle.
"Two of the receivers ran post patterns."
- 29 any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered wordnet
- 30 The doorpost of a victualler's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt. obsolete
"when God ſends coyne, I will diſcharge your poaſt"
- 31 Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier. obsolete
"And then in post he came from Mantua."
- 32 the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand wordnet
- 33 The vertical part of a crochet stitch.
- 34 One who has charge of a station, especially a postal station. obsolete
"there he held the office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years."
Verb
- 1 To hang (a notice) in a conspicuous manner for general review. transitive
"Post no bills."
- 2 To travel with relays of horses; to travel by post horses, originally as a courier.
"Beyond Cologne we descended to the plain of Holland; and we resolved to post the remainder of our way […]."
- 3 To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, etc.
- 4 To successfully perform a power-on self-test.
"The computer had a bunch of strange components, but it still POSTed so I assumed everything worked."
- 5 publicize with, or as if with, a poster wordnet
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 To announce publicly; to publish. broadly, transitive
"The company posted record profits this quarter."
- 7 To travel quickly; to hurry.
"Post speedily to my lord your husband."
- 8 To assign to a station; to set; to place.
"Post a sentinel in front of the door."
- 9 display, as of records in sports games wordnet
- 10 To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation.
"to post someone for cowardice"
- 11 To send (an item of mail etc.) through the postal service. Australia, New-Zealand, UK
"Mail items posted before 7.00pm within the Central Business District and before 5.00pm outside the Central Business District will be delivered the next working day."
- 12 mark or expose as infamous wordnet
- 13 To carry (an account) from the journal to the ledger.
"You have not poſted your Books theſe Ten years; hovv is it poſſible for a Man of Buſineſs to keep his Affairs even in the VVorld at this rate?"
- 14 To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, especially in trotting.
- 15 cause to be directed or transmitted to another place wordnet
- 16 To inform; to give the news to; to make acquainted with the details of a subject; often with up.
"thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day"
- 17 To publish (a message) to a newsgroup, forum, blog, etc. Internet
"I couldn't figure it out, so I posted a question on the mailing list."
- 18 To post a message on a social media website wordnet
- 19 To deposit a payment that may or may not be returned.; To pay (a stake or blind). transitive
"Since Jim was new to the game, he had to post $4 in order to receive a hand."
- 20 assign to a station wordnet
- 21 To deposit a payment that may or may not be returned.; To pay bail. transitive
"to post bail"
- 22 place so as to be noticed wordnet
- 23 mark with a stake wordnet
- 24 affix in a public place or for public notice wordnet
- 25 ride Western style and bob up and down in the saddle in rhythm with a horse's trotting gait wordnet
- 26 transfer (entries) from one account book to another wordnet
- 27 assign to a post; put into a post wordnet
- 28 enter on a public list wordnet
Adverb
- 1 With the post, on post-horses; by a relay of horses (changing at every staging-post); hence, express, with speed, quickly. not-comparable
"His highness comes post from Marseilles,"
- 2 Sent via the postal service. not-comparable
Preposition
- 1 After; especially after a significant event that has long-term ramifications.
"One of the most appealing things for me about Barack Obama has always been that he comes post the post-60s generation."
Proper Noun
- 1 A common name (often in combination) for a newspaper or periodical, such as The Washington Post or the New York Post. countable, uncountable
- 2 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 3 A village in Iran. countable, uncountable
- 4 An unincorporated community in Crook County, Oregon, named after Walter H. Post. countable, uncountable
- 5 A city, the county seat of Garza County, Texas, named after C. W. Post. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"You should apply for that post."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "post"?
Common synonyms include: mail, position, stake, accredit, acquaint, acropolis.
How do you use "post" in a sentence?
You should apply for that post.
How do you pronounce "post"?
Pronounced /pəʊst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old English post (“pillar, door-post”) and Latin postis (“a post, a door-post”) through Old French. .
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta (“stopping-place for coaches”), feminine of posto (“placed, situated”).
Etymology 3
Probably from French poste.
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Latin post.
Etymology 5
Clipping of post-production.
Etymology 6
Clipping of post mortem.