letter
1a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.
a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.
a piece of printing type bearing such a symbol or character.
a particular style of type.
such types collectively.
Often letters . a formal document granting a right or privilege.
actual terms or wording; literal meaning, as distinct from implied meaning or intent (opposed to spirit): the letter of the law.
letters, (used with a singular or plural verb)
literature in general.
the profession of literature.
learning; knowledge, especially of literature.
an emblem consisting of the initial or monogram of a school, awarded to a student for extracurricular activity, especially in athletics.
to mark or write with letters; inscribe: I picked up the crossword and lettered in P-E-A-R-L for the final clue.
to earn a letter in an interscholastic or intercollegiate activity, especially a sport: He lettered in track at Harvard.
Idioms about letter
to the letter, to the last particular; precisely: His orders were carried out to the letter.
Origin of letter
1synonym study For letter
Other words from letter
- let·ter·er, noun
- let·ter·less, adjective
Words that may be confused with letter
Words Nearby letter
How to use letter in a sentence
She did urge the county to take out SDSU students from the statistics, and they’re going to send a letter to the state asking that the SDSU numbers not be included in the calculation of the county’s tier status.
Morning Report: The Dreaded Purple Tier | Voice of San Diego | September 16, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoI could name many of them who, for example, organized and signed a letter of support for me in 1991.
That’s why Ivan tells Selin that his love for her is “for the person writing your letters.”
The true love story in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is a love affair with language | Constance Grady | September 11, 2020 | VoxLet’s get to the letter of the law, as Apple is a stickler for precision when it comes to these rules.
Apple lays out its messy vision for how xCloud and Stadia will work with its App Store rules | Lucas Matney | September 11, 2020 | TechCrunchObviously, thankfully, that letter never needed to be opened, but I wrote that letter that tells your loved ones what you want them to know.
Pete Buttigieg Says Dems Did Not Coordinate to Seal Biden’s Primary Win | Nick Fouriezos | September 9, 2020 | Ozy
In memoriam, Parker Molloy writes a powerful letter to Leelah.
Six Must-Read Stories About Gay Mormon Husbands and Iranian Drug Wars | The Daily Beast | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTYour letter highlights so many of the harsh realities trans people face, specifically in regard to how society rejects us.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTJust a few short years ago, I sat down at my computer, and I typed out a similar goodbye letter.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTCopies of the letter were sent to senior members of the church hierarchy and to the Soviet government.
Remembering the Russian Priest Who Fought the Orthodox Church | Cathy Young | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI have never gotten one letter in my office about one of those.
He turned to the gentle accents of his sweet Alice, breathed in a letter which had been wet with her grateful tears.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterHoosier hurried on board the boat, and followed Dick's instructions to the letter.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousA letter from Fajardo to the king (December 10, 1621) concerns various matters of administration and business.
How little did he divine that the letter of the doctor was called forth by a communication from the countess-dowager.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodWith this letter is another by the same writer, dated July 30, 1622—a postscript to a duplicate of the preceding letter.
British Dictionary definitions for letter
/ (ˈlɛtə) /
any of a set of conventional symbols used in writing or printing a language, each symbol being associated with a group of phonetic values in the language; character of the alphabet
a written or printed communication addressed to a person, company, etc, usually sent by post in an envelope: Related adjective: epistolary
the letter the strict legalistic or pedantic interpretation of the meaning of an agreement, document, etc; exact wording as distinct from actual intention (esp in the phrase the letter of the law): Compare spirit 1 (def. 10)
printing archaic a style of typeface: a fancy letter
to the letter
following the literal interpretation or wording exactly
attending to every detail
to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand
(tr) to set down or print using letters
Origin of letter
1- See also letters
Derived forms of letter
- letterer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with letter
In addition to the idiom beginning with letter
- letter of the law
also see:
- bread and butter letter
- crank call (letter)
- dead letter
- four-letter word
- poison-pen letter
- red-letter day
- to the letter
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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