address
Americannoun
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a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons.
the president's address on the state of the economy.
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a direction as to the intended recipient, written on or attached to a piece of mail.
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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?
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manner of speaking to persons; personal bearing in conversation.
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skillful and expeditious management; ready skill; dispatch.
to handle a matter with address.
- Synonyms:
- tact, ingenuity, cleverness, adroitness
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Computers.
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a label, as an integer, symbol, or other set of characters, designating a location, register, etc., where information is stored in computer memory.
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a set of characters designating an email account.
Her email address ends in “.net,” not “.com.”
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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.
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Government. a request to the executive by the legislature to remove a judge for unfitness.
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Usually addresses. attentions paid by a suitor or lover; courtship.
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Usually Address. the reply to the king's speech in the English Parliament.
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Obsolete. preparation.
verb (used with object)
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to direct a speech or written statement to.
to address an assembly.
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to use a specified form or title in speaking or writing to.
Address the president as “Mr. President.”
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to direct to the attention.
He addressed his remarks to the lawyers in the audience.
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to apply in speech (used reflexively, usually followed byto ).
He addressed himself to the leader.
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to deal with or discuss.
to address the issues.
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to put the directions for delivery on.
to address a letter.
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Commerce. to consign or entrust to the care of another, as agent or factor.
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to direct the energy or efforts of (usually followed byto ).
He addressed himself to the task.
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Computers. to direct (data) to a specified memory location in a computer.
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Golf. to take a stance and place the head of the club behind (the ball) preparatory to hitting it.
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Obsolete. to woo; court.
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Archaic. to give direction to; aim.
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Obsolete. to prepare.
verb (used without object)
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to make an appeal.
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to make preparations.
noun
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the conventional form by which the location of a building is described
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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
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the place at which someone lives
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a speech or written communication, esp one of a formal nature
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skilfulness or tact
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archaic manner or style of speaking or conversation
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computing a number giving the location of a piece of stored information See also direct access
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government a statement of the opinions or wishes of either or both Houses of Parliament that is sent to the sovereign
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the alignment or position of a part, component, etc, that permits correct assembly or fitting
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(usually plural) expressions of affection made by a man in courting a woman
verb
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to mark (a letter, parcel, etc) with an address
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to speak to, refer to in speaking, or deliver a speech to
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(used reflexively; foll by to)
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to speak or write to
he addressed himself to the chairman
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to apply oneself to
he addressed himself to the task
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to direct (a message, warning, etc) to the attention of
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to consign or entrust (a ship or a ship's cargo) to a factor, merchant, etc
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to adopt a position facing (the ball in golf, a partner in a dance, the target in archery, etc)
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to treat of; deal with
chapter 10 addresses the problem of transitivity
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an archaic word for woo
Related Words
See speech.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing address
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Filosa was brought in last year with a mandate to address multiple challenges for the world's fourth-biggest automaker, not least under-utilisation of its European factories in a market still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
The spokesperson did not address questions regarding whether the raids were done in retaliation for the group’s monitoring of immigration raids.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Officers also visited an address linked with the bike, but the evidence was not strong enough to enable a search.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
It reflects the enormous risks that frontier AI poses, which neither party has proposed a good model to address.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Somehow, we made it to the address we’d been given.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
