address

American  

[uh-dres, ad-res, uh-dres] / əˈdrɛs, ˈæd rɛs, əˈdrɛs /

noun

• addresses
  plural

1. a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons.

   the president's address on the state of the economy.

   Synonyms:

   lecture, discourse

2. a direction as to the intended recipient, written on or attached to a piece of mail.

3. the place or the name of the place where a person, organization, or the like is located or may be reached.

   What is your address when you're in Des Moines?

4. manner of speaking to persons; personal bearing in conversation.

5. skillful and expeditious management; ready skill; dispatch.

   to handle a matter with address.

   Synonyms:

   tact, ingenuity, cleverness, adroitness

6. Computers.

   1. a label, as an integer, symbol, or other set of characters, designating a location, register, etc., where information is stored in computer memory.

   2. a set of characters designating an email account.

      Her email address ends in “.net,” not “.com.”

   3. a set of characters designating the location of a website or a particular computer or other device on a network.

      He visits that website so often that its complete address comes up whenever he types its first letter into the address bar.

7. Government. a request to the executive by the legislature to remove a judge for unfitness.

8. Usually addresses. attentions paid by a suitor or lover; courtship.

9. Usually Address. the reply to the king's speech in the English Parliament.

10. Obsolete. preparation.

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verb (used with object)

• addresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• addressed,
  past participle,  past
• addrest,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• addressing
  present participle

1. to direct a speech or written statement to.

   to address an assembly.

2. to use a specified form or title in speaking or writing to.

   Address the president as “Mr. President.”

3. to direct to the attention.

   He addressed his remarks to the lawyers in the audience.

4. to apply in speech (used reflexively, usually followed byto ).

   He addressed himself to the leader.

5. to deal with or discuss.

   to address the issues.

6. to put the directions for delivery on.

   to address a letter.

7. Commerce. to consign or entrust to the care of another, as agent or factor.

8. to direct the energy or efforts of (usually followed byto ).

   He addressed himself to the task.

9. Computers. to direct (data) to a specified memory location in a computer.

10. Golf. to take a stance and place the head of the club behind (the ball) preparatory to hitting it.

11. Obsolete. to woo; court.

12. Archaic. to give direction to; aim.

13. Obsolete. to prepare.

verb (used without object)

Obsolete.

• addresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• addressed,
  past participle,  past
• addrest,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• addressing
  present participle

1. to make an appeal.

2. to make preparations.

address British  

/ əˈdrɛs /

noun

1. the conventional form by which the location of a building is described

2. the written form of this, as on a letter or parcel, preceded by the name of the person or organization for whom it is intended

3. the place at which someone lives

4. a speech or written communication, esp one of a formal nature

5. skilfulness or tact

6. archaic manner or style of speaking or conversation

7. computing a number giving the location of a piece of stored information See also direct access

8. government a statement of the opinions or wishes of either or both Houses of Parliament that is sent to the sovereign

9. the alignment or position of a part, component, etc, that permits correct assembly or fitting

10. (usually plural) expressions of affection made by a man in courting a woman

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verb

1. to mark (a letter, parcel, etc) with an address

2. to speak to, refer to in speaking, or deliver a speech to

3. (used reflexively; foll by to)

   1. to speak or write to

      he addressed himself to the chairman

   2. to apply oneself to

      he addressed himself to the task

4. to direct (a message, warning, etc) to the attention of

5. to consign or entrust (a ship or a ship's cargo) to a factor, merchant, etc

6. to adopt a position facing (the ball in golf, a partner in a dance, the target in archery, etc)

7. to treat of; deal with

   chapter 10 addresses the problem of transitivity

8. an archaic word for woo

Synonym Usage

See speech.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• addresser
  noun
• addressor
  noun
• preaddress
  noun
• readdress
  verb (used with object)
• half-addressed
  adjective
• unaddressed
  adjective
• well-addressed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• addresses
  plural

Participles

• addressing
  present
• addressed
  past
• addrest
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• address
  simple
• addresses
  simple
• have addressed
  perfect
• have addrest
  perfect
• has addressed
  perfect
• has addrest
  perfect
• am addressing
  progressive
• are addressing
  progressive
• is addressing
  progressive
• have been addressing
  perfect progressive
• has been addressing
  perfect progressive

Past

• addressed
  simple
• addrest
  simple
• had addressed
  perfect
• had addrest
  perfect
• was addressing
  progressive
• were addressing
  progressive
• had been addressing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will address
  simple
• will have addressed
  perfect
• will have addrest
  perfect
• will be addressing
  progressive
• will have been addressing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of address

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adressen “to adorn,” from Middle French adresser; see a- ⁵, dress

Explanation

When you are a student and you want to address your teacher, it's generally safer to call her Ms. and not address her by her first name, Esmeralda. Address is a word that's long been associated with correspondence — the street number, city, state, and postal code that must be on the front of any envelope if it's going to arrive at its destination. In the digital age, an address has also come to mean the location where you might e-mail your friend pictures of your dog dressed up in a birthday hat. If you wanted to tell that friend about your dog's birthday party in person, you might address her directly. Address to describe a way of speaking is usually reserved for more formal occasions, such as when the President addresses the nation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

address addresses addressed addrest addressing

The highlight of Rubio's visit is set to be his address from the Pnyx, a hill near the Acropolis that is the parliamentary assembly of ancient Athenian democracy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

In a video address over the weekend, Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said: “We will also lend our full support to legislative efforts to change New York’s sexual assault laws.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The UK government said they were "working to address disparities in provision" and have pledged more than £1bn in dedicated funding over the next three years to improve support to rural victims.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Producer Jessie Deeter, who had previously worked with Musk, had his cellphone number and email address and repeatedly tried to persuade him to participate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

A brain "address" can specify left or right hemisphere, the lobe, the nearest ridge or fold, and whether the location is on top or bottom, inside or out, and front or back.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

We used our names and news organization email addresses, following each state’s rules for starting private or microschools, a type of private school intended for just a few students.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

"This support addresses the most significant current gap in Ukraine's air defence system. The impact is expected to be rapid and tangible," a source said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

For some amici, I’d sleuth the internet for email addresses, then send a note succinctly explaining our appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Internet domains are the unique human-readable addresses people type into their web browsers to access websites - like bbc.co.uk.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

And then my eye fell on the briefcase, stuffed with names and addresses.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

But he also said the AI Act requires developers "to have addressed" safety risks by the time a model reaches the market, noting that recent incidents including with OpenAI agents happened during testing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

It was something Bellamy had addressed and admitted in his press conference prior to the game, accepting he deserved scrutiny.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

U.S. air-safety regulators had convened an internal panel known as a corrective action review board on Friday to decide whether the problem amounted to an unsafe condition that needed to be addressed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Egan-Jones addressed effects on venture capital, pointing out that startups can reach scale faster with less money, so those firms will ultimately lose leverage and see returns compress.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

But there was no chance for Penelope to share this plot twist with Simon, for Lord Fredrick whimpered with hunger for the chickens, and the situation needed to be addressed at once.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

The memory of that great scene still lingers about the place, and every guide will show you the exact place where the Apostle stood, and in what direction he addrest his audience.

From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 8 Italy and Greece, Part Two by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey

This essay addrest to Gallio, Seneca is thought to have intended "as a vindication of himself against those who calumniated him on account of his riches and manner of living."

From The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume II (of X) - Rome by Francis W. (Francis Whiting) Halsey

And proud to see himself with Triumph blest, Thus to great Absolom himself addrest.

From Anti-Achitophel (1682) Three Verse Replies to Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden by Harold Whitmore Jones

Yet ne'er the less, with heat opprest, Those three bold captains he addrest; And wished that one to him would bring Some water from his native spring.

From The Bible Story by Newton Marshall Hall

While she hesitates, the other cardinal, Campeius, thinking himself addrest by a lady, steps forward.

From Inquiries and Opinions by Brander Matthews

Alito gave a long interview to CBS News legal correspondent Jan Crawford, addressing a wide range of issues.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could provide researchers with another tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change, Stylianou said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Removing encampments criminalizes people who already are marginalized by society, when the focus should be on addressing addiction and mental health issues, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Maclean said the budget was a "small step in the right direction" to addressing concerns by the Fiscal Policy Panel that Jersey had been spending more than it was earning.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked suddenly, leaning forward and addressing herself to James.

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• ZIP code
• home
• location
• number