ambassador
Americannoun
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ambassadors
plural
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a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative ambassadorextraordinaryandplenipotentiary.
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a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.
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a diplomatic official serving as permanent head of a country's mission to the United Nations or some other international organization.
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an authorized messenger or representative. Amb., amb.
noun
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short for ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary ; a diplomatic minister of the highest rank, accredited as permanent representative to another country or sovereign
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a diplomatic minister of the highest rank sent on a special mission
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a diplomatic minister of the first rank with treaty-signing powers
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an ambassador with special duties who may be sent to more than one government
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an authorized representative or messenger
Usage
The gender-neutral form is ambassador
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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ambassadorshipnoun
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ambassadressnoun
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ambassadorialadjective
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preambassadorialadjective
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ambassadoriallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing ambassador
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Occupations
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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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.
See Examples For:
She served as an ambassador for the league overseas, visiting U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait on a USO tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Ms. Raja is Yemen’s ambassador to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The visit comes as Russia confirmed its ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, had left his post in London in recent weeks.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The UAE recalled its ambassador to Tehran early in the conflict and has shut Iran-linked schools and a hospital.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
As a first step in this process, in March 1611 Galileo set off on a visit to Rome, as the official scientific ambassador of the Tuscan state.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Chesney selected Martin to be one of his first ambassadors to regional and national media outlets covering Big Ten football media days in Chicago, joining linebacker Sammy Omosigho and quarterback Nico Iamaleava representing the Bruins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The latest list of 74 names includes future ambassadors to Australia, Brazil and Equatorial Guinea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He also announced "our agreement to begin the process of exchanging resident ambassadors between Damascus and Paris as soon as possible, signalling the return of diplomatic relations to their normal state".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Boston has been overtaken by Ball Boys, full-time dreamers and relentless ambassadors for their country.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
“We’ve worked with people convicted of dangerous driving behaviors and they’ve been great ambassadors, but no one else has had the long-term commitment and passion as Reggie. He’s gone so far above and beyond.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
