courier

American  

[kur-ee-er, koor-] / ˈkɜr i ər, ˈkʊər- /

noun

couriers plural

1. a messenger, usually traveling in haste, bearing urgent news, important reports or packages, diplomatic messages, etc.

2. any means of carrying news, messages, etc., regularly.

3. the conveyance used by a courier, as an airplane or ship.

4. Chiefly British. a tour guide for a travel agency.

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courier British  

/ ˈkʊərɪə /

noun

1. a special messenger, esp one carrying diplomatic correspondence

2. a person who makes arrangements for or accompanies a group of travellers on a journey or tour

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verb

1. (tr) to send (a parcel, letter, etc) by courier

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• couriers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of courier

1350–1400; < Middle French cour ( r ) ier < Italian corriere, equivalent to corr ( ere ) to run (< Latin currere ) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary; replacing Middle English corour < Anglo-French cor ( i ) our, Old French coreor < Late Latin curritor runner; see current, -tor

Explanation

A courier is a person you trust with delivering important messages or packages. Let your mail carrier deliver your credit card bill and the form letter from the “Save the Orchids” foundation, but trust a courier with your book contract or birth certificate. Couriers are in a hurry. Do they saunter up your driveway the way a mail carrier does? No! Couriers are clearly on important business; they’re jogging. The word comes from a Latin word, currere, meaning “to run.” Nowadays, you might see couriers on bicycles, however, weaving in and out of traffic to deliver your messages on time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

courier couriers

Flights from New York City to Colorado Springs are about $250, and sending your dog with a courier would cost well over $1,000.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

After the ancient Greeks won the historic Battle of Marathon, a courier ran 25 miles to Athens to deliver the good news and, according to legend, dropped dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

Det Supt Oliver Little, from City of London Police, said courier fraud represented "serious organised crime" that was "very sophisticated at getting people's confidence".

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

It couldn’t be determined why the courier was stopped at the airport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

And Olka had managed to get herself a job as a courier at the Eagle Pharmacy, the sole Polish-owned business that was permitted to stay open within the ghetto walls.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

"Along with a network of others, McKelvie, Sanderson and Tracey operated as couriers," he added.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Additionally, the company said it now has more than 10 million global drivers and couriers, with active drivers up 21% from a year ago, despite higher gas prices.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

Uber said drivers can get up to 15% cash back through May 26 with the Uber Pro card, a business debit Mastercard for drivers and couriers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026

Acting as couriers, they take up parcels of host bacterial DNA and deliver them to neighbouring bacteria.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026

“Well, we intercept German radio messages at listening posts. Motorcycle couriers bring stacks of messages here all day and night. But we can’t read them.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin