ambassador

American  

[am-bas-uh-der, -dawr] / æmˈbæs ə dər, -ˌdɔr /

Archaic, embassador

noun

• ambassadors
  plural

1. a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative ambassadorextraordinaryandplenipotentiary.

2. a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.

3. a diplomatic official serving as permanent head of a country's mission to the United Nations or some other international organization.

4. an authorized messenger or representative. Amb., amb.

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ambassador British  

/ æmˈbæsədə /

noun

1. short for ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary ; a diplomatic minister of the highest rank, accredited as permanent representative to another country or sovereign

2. a diplomatic minister of the highest rank sent on a special mission

3. a diplomatic minister of the first rank with treaty-signing powers

4. an ambassador with special duties who may be sent to more than one government

5. an authorized representative or messenger

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Usage

The gender-neutral form is ambassador

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ambassadorship
  noun
• ambassadress
  noun
• ambassadorial
  adjective
• preambassadorial
  adjective
• ambassadorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ambassadors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ambassador

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English am-, embass(i)adour, imbassadore, from Anglo-French ambassateur, ambassaduer, from Italian ambassatore, dialectal Italian ambassadore, equivalent to ambass- stem of “to send a delegate” + -atore, -adore, from Latin -ātōrem accusative of -ātor noun-forming suffix; see embassy, -ator

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Explanation

An ambassador is an official representative for his or her country, stationed in another nation, like Benjamin Franklin, who was an ambassador to France. Ambassador usually describes the official diplomatic envoy who represents one country to another. These ambassadors work to promote understanding, perhaps by settling differences or clearing up misunderstanding. Used less formally, an ambassador can be anyone who represents something, like a pop singer who is a "brand ambassador" for a cosmetics company.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ambassador ambassadors

"When you have Latvians in Latvia asking for justice, when you have Latvians in the UK asking for justice, that's his number one job as ambassador," Owatemi said.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

A former ambassador to Austria, Lauder has recently curtailed his giving to Republican candidates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

Barrot said France had summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris "to lodge a very strong protest against this extremely grave act".

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026

Stewart had worn a white sweater with an American flag and Olympic rings on the front in the episode to match with Melvin, who had dressed up like Olympics superfan and ambassador Snoop Dogg.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

I went to bed and thought about what I’d done, not because I was sorry for offending the ambassador, but because I’d let myself get out of control.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Gleizes's arrest also came during a period of heightened diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria, marked by the withdrawal of ambassadors and reciprocal expulsions of diplomats.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

But the back and forth, part of a tranche of hundreds of messages, emails and letters reviewed by the Journal, raises new questions about the activities of one of America’s most high-profile ambassadors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The house has also taken on male ambassadors this year, including actor Pedro Pascal, but still has no officially designated men's line.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

The BBC's Catherine Burns spoke to some young mental health ambassadors who echoed the report's findings and called for an increase in mental health support.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The guests included the Cuban and the Algerian ambassadors, and also it was here that I met Mrs. W. E. B. Du Bois.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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