messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈme-sᵊn-jər 

1

: one who bears a message or does an errand: such as

a

archaic : forerunner, herald

b

: a dispatch bearer in government or military service

c

: an employee who carries messages

2

: a light line used in hauling a heavier line (as between ships)

3

: a substance (such as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect

4

: messenger rna

Synonyms

• courier
• express [British]
• go-between
• page
• runner

Examples of messenger in a Sentence

They sent a messenger to pick up the package.

the messenger comes by twice a day to pick up packages

Recent Examples on the Web

Walsh was also head of the New Technologies Team at AOL during the 90s, one of the first people who hackers impersonated on the web and helped launch AOL’s instant messenger client AIM. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

The Vatican then received a warning from a messenger claiming to be with the Illuminati — the candidates would each be killed starting at 8 p.m. that evening. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2024

In both of these accounts, the messenger punctuates his announcement with a sudden expiration. —Miriam Kamil, JSTOR Daily, 20 Nov. 2024

Pointing finger | Climate legacy | Bad messengers The holidays are coming and shopping has started. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English messangere, from Anglo-French messager, messanger, from message

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing messenger

• blame/shoot the messenger
• messenger bag
• messenger RNA
• messenger RNA vaccines

Kids Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

: one that carries a message or does an errand

Medical Definition

messenger

noun

mes·​sen·​ger ˈmes-ᵊn-jər 

1

: a substance (as a hormone) that mediates a biological effect see first messenger, second messenger

2

: messenger rna