ambassador

American  

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

Archaic, embassador

noun

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  

/ æmˌbæsəˈdɔːrɪəl, 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

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

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; embassy, -ator

Example Sentences

Initially, Sapronov struck a deal to receive a cut of her future earnings, but waived his percentage in exchange for Svitolina becoming an ambassador for his companies.

From BBC

That will require accelerating sometimes "slow and convoluted" approval processes for projects, said Daniel Kritenbrink, a former US ambassador in Vietnam.

From Barron's

Such thinking among allies represents a problem for American leadership, said John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.

From The Wall Street Journal

Syria's UN ambassador Ibrahim Olabi said the Syrian government welcomed the US operation to transfer IS detainees out of Syrian territory and was ready to offer support.

From BBC

It’s such a great year for movies and you talk with such passion and conviction — almost as an ambassador of movies — about how important they are to you.

From Los Angeles Times